Animal Name: Sea Lion (Californian)
Kingdom: Animalia
Characteristics that place it here:
multicellular with specialized eukaryotic cells
rely on other organisms for nourishment
ingest food and digest food in an internal cavity
have their own means of locomotion
Phylum: Chordata
Characteristics that place it here:
bilaterally symmetrical bodies ( the right and left side of a body are a mirror image of each other.)
at some point of the life cycle they have a pair of gill slits or pouches used to obtain oxygen in a liquid environment.
Have a notochord at some phase of their life cycle
Members often have a head, tail and a digestive system with openings at both ends of their body.
Class: Mammalia
Characteristics that place it here:
conceive their young within the reproductive tract of the mother
nourish young with milk produced by the mother's mammary glands
are heterodonts ( that means that they have a variety of specialized teeth)
are endothermic ( that means they are warm blooded)
they have hair and sweat glands
they have a four chambered heart
they have a complex nervous system
they have large brains
Order: Carnivora
Characteristics that place it here:
eats meat
a large forth molar on top
use their speed to approach prey
Family: Otariidae
Characteristics that place it here:
seals or sea lions belong in this group
external ears
generally brown in color
Genius: Zalophus
Characteristics that place it here:
sea lions belong in this group
Species: califonianus
Characteristics that place it here:
it is a California Sea Lion
The California Sea Lion is an amazing animal. It lives in the water, but is a mammal. The sea lion is warm-blooded. They feed on a variety of water animals. They are playful and are capable of adapting to new habits
The Aura of the Sea Lion
By: Katie Whichard
Calm waters
Always waiting
Life is abundant
Intelligence
Friendly in Solitude
Ocean breezes
Ripples are made
No one else
Inviting life
Alone on the sand
Shallow waters, deep hearts
Extra care
An amazing creature
Little in a large world
Inside a water globe
Outstanding animal
Never leaves
References:
Information from California Sea Lion Date: 1/10/01
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/sealion.htm
Picture from California Sea Lion1/10/01
http://www.seaworld.org/animal_bytes/sea_lionab.html
Background from: The Marine Mammal Center: The California Sea Lion (CSL) 1/10/01
http://www.tmmc.org/csealion.htm
