South American sea lion

South American sea lion
Male and female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Parvorder: Pinnipedia
Family: Otariidae
Genus: Otaria
Péron, 1816
Species:
O. flavescens
Binomial name
Otaria flavescens
(Shaw, 1800)
South American sea lion range
Synonyms

Otaria bryonia

The South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens, formerly Otaria byronia), also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the western and southeastern coasts of South America. It is the only member of the genus Otaria. The species is highly sexually dimorphic. Males have a large head and prominent mane. They mainly feed on fish and cephalopods and haul out on sand, gravel, rocky, or pebble beaches. Breeding males are typically defend both territories and individual females, though this can vary. Less dominant males may try to achieve success by causing chaos in the group. The overall population of the species is considered stable, estimated at 265,000 animals.