and perhaps to the mouth of the Columbia River. A few are recorded 

 farther north. Two adult males were seen on Jagged Island, off the 

 northern Washington coast on 11 May 1954. The skeletal remains of 

 others have been collected from the west coast of Vancouver Island, 

 British Columbia. Its short, seasonal travels cannot be compared with 

 the 2, 000-mile winter migration of the northern fur seal. 



Breeding habits 



It breeds on small offshore islands from Santa Barbara southward 

 into Mexico in May and June. So far as is known, the harem structure 

 is similar to that of the Steller sea-lion. As in all eared seals, there 

 is a single young. In captivity the gestation period is 342 to 365 days. 



Feeding habits 



Stomach analyses have shown that the California sea-lion feeds 

 largely on squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, hake, and rat fish. Some 

 fishermen are prone to minimize these findings and to emphasize the 

 destruction of gear by sea-lions, and the frightening and scattering of 

 fish from fishing areas. 



California sea-lion, adult male. 

 Scale line: one inch. 



352711 O - 55 - 3 



15 



