I am the second-largest seal in the world!
Females of my species can weigh up to 1,500 pounds.
Males of my species can weigh up to 4,500 pounds!
I only come on shore to mate, give birth, and molt my grayish-colored fur.
Males of my species develop a large nose.
My average weight is between 35 and 40 tons!
Males of my species are known for their beautiful songs.
I gather in a group of up to a dozen in the place where I have my babies, and swim in a smaller group of three to four during migration.
I have spotted fur and tend to stay near shore.
When on land, I move by flopping along on my belly.
I can weigh up to 300 pounds!
I have no external ear flaps.
I am a member of the weasel family and I have the thickest fur of any mammal.
I am the smallest marine mammal.
I can use rocks as tools to access food like clams and abalone.
I can eat 25-30% of my body weight in one day!
Mothers of my species often carry their babies on their chests.
Members of my species live in every ocean in the world.
About 1,500 of my friends feed along the California coast, to make up the largest concentration of my species on the planet.
When they are nursing, babies of my species can gain up to 9 pounds an hour and up to 200 pounds a day!
I am the biggest animal on earth!
I sound like a barking dog, and my face looks a little like a dog’s face, too.
My babies are even called pups!
I have large flippers that I can use to "walk" on land.
You can see lots of my friends at Pier 39 in San Francisco.
I have one of the longest migrations of any mammal.
I can carry over 400 pounds of barnacles and whale lice.
I have an interesting way of feeding: I stir up the ocean floor in shallow areas and suck up bottom-dwelling animals.
I have a pointy, beak-like mouth and sharp teeth.
I am very social and I sometimes hang out with thousands of my friends at one time.
I use echolocation, which is like sonar, to better "see" the ocean around me.
GOOD JOB!
Now that you know all about these native California marine mammals,
learn how to safely observe them in the wild.
We thank The Marine Mammal Center, whose website, www.marinemammalcenter.org, was the source of the information for this quiz.
