Visitors to the El Paso Zoo can now see Sunny the California sea lion
and three new female companions in a new habitat called World of the Sea Lion.
The new exhibit features two underwater viewing areas, a 20 foot pool with a
cascading waterfall and a large amphitheater.
California
sea lions (Zalophus c. californianus) live along the Pacific coast of North
America from Canada to Mexico. Your journey into our new exhibit begins along
the rocky shoreline of the Pacific coast in northern California and Oregon.
Every
spring, sea lions gather on islands in southern California and Baja California
in Mexico. After the pups are born in June and July, adult males leave the females
and pups and begin moving to their wintering grounds in the Pacific Northwest.
©Phillip
Colla
Sunny was born in captivity at the El Paso Zoo in 1986, and is the
same age as the two new siblings Cleo and Coco. Sushi, the youngest is
approximately 8 years old and was born in the wild.
The
California sea lion makes a variety of sounds, including barks and honking like a horn. Males bark frequently when defending
their territories. If you see bursts of bubbles rising to the surface you are
watching a sea lion bark underwater.
