Galapagos Fur Seals...or is it Sea Lion?

Okay, so to do a little background research on the islands for our group, I need two animals, a plant, and a theory to discuss...luckily, I have this handy note card that tells me which ones to pick!

Nap time for the Galapagos fur sea lion!

First up are the animals, namely the Galapagos fur seal and the slipper lobster. My guide book tells me that, technically, the index card is incorrect; there is no Galapagos fur seal, only fur sea lions! The rest of the internet, even sacred Wikipedia, does not seem to agree, though... We can talk about this in person! I'm inclined to believe my book--it tells me that seals have internal ears, but every Galapagos fur "seal" that I've seen has had external ears. Originating in the Southern Hemisphere, the ancestor species of the Galapagos fur sea lion rode the Humboldt current up to the islands, where the sea lions lived and differentiated into the species we now today: Arctocephalus galapagoensis. The Galapagos fur sea lion were, until recently, endemic to the islands, but it seems that a second colony established itself in northern Peru in. To distinguish it from the rest of the fur sea lions around the world, the Galapagos version is smaller and is the only type of fur sea lion to live in the tropics. Because they are so darn cute, the Galapagos fur sea lion was hunted for its fur, almost to the point of extinction in the 19th century. However, the fur sea lion populations have now recovered, and these lobos de dos pelos (double-fur sea wolves) are happy to lie underneath the rocks to hide from the sun.

I hope you've enjoyed this post on the loveable sea lion. We've got a lot more to cover, so look for more posts! Until next time...

National Geographic Photo of the Sea Lion