Sea Lion Galapagos Islands Facts

Every Island you go to on Galapagos has Sea Lions, so it is surprising to note that the Galapagos Sea Lion is considered endangered.  The Galapagos Sea Lions are a unique species to the Galapagos Islands and during El-Nino with food sources reduced, the Galapagos Sea Lion population reduced to such an extent that they are now classified as endangered. Sea Lions travel up to 20 km to find food, their main source of food being sardines.  It is during these trips that they are vulnerable to large sharks and Killer whales.  Around the Galapagos islands, there are few threats, the only being man with their fishing nets and hooks.  Galapagos Sea Lions are particularly social which means that they will not hesitate to come close to human habitats.  When on land they form colonies that are controlled by dominant males, who loudly proclaim their territory. You can tell the difference between the Sea Lion and Seal which they are often confused with by the visible ear flap on their head.  Seals do not have a visible ear flap.

Sea Lion Breeding On Galapagos

The largest males get selected by the females to breed with.  Each dominant male can have between 5 and 25 females in their harem.  Female sea lions are able to pick out the sound of their pups bark amidst a colony of 30 or more other sea lions and pups.

Taking A Photo Of Sea Lions On The Galapagos Islands

On land the Galapagos sea lion is not very agile and they often lie in the sun on the rocks, this is the best time to take photos.  In the water it is a completely different story, here their agility is unequaled and you would have to be really quick to get a good shot.  Underwater they are also curious and do come up close to take a look at you but if they get bored then they quickly move on to find something more interesting. Nonetheless swimming with them underwater is an awesome experience which I can highly recommend.

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