California sea lion
Scientific name: Zalophus californianus (Lesson, 1828)
Overview
The California sea lion is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California. California sea lions are sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and have a thicker neck, and a protruding sagittal crest. They mainly haul out on sandy or rocky beaches, but they also frequent manmade environments such as marinas and wharves. California sea lions feed on a number of species of fish and squid, and are preyed on by orcas and great white sharks.
From the Wikipedia article “California sea lion”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: East Pacific; Middle America; North America.
Common names
Also known in English as Californian Sea Lion, California Sealion.
Names in other languages (9)
- Arabic
- أسد البحر الكاليفورني
- Chinese
- 加州海獅
- French
- Lion de mer de Californie, otarie de Californie
- German
- Kalifornischer Seelöwe
- Indonesian
- Singa laut california
- Japanese
- カリフォルニアアシカ
- Persian
- شیر دریایی کالیفرنیا
- Russian
- калифорнийский морской лев
- Spanish
- lobo común, Lobo marino de California, Lobo-marino californiano, marino de California
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q379732, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “California sea lion”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — marneejill, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Mirko Thiessen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026