OTARlIDiE 201 



Family OtariidSD Sea Lions and Fur Seals. 



Hind legs capable of being turned forward and of some 

 service for use on land; neck long; front limbs nearly as large as 

 hind limbs; first and fifth toes of hind feet without claws; webs 

 extending beyond toes ; small external ears ; a postorbital pro- 

 cess; incisors of upper jaw notched on crown; crowns of pre- 

 molars and molars usually simple; males exceeding females in 



Genus Zalophus GilIv. (Great — crest.) 

 Molar not separated from premolars by a wide space ; molari- 

 forni teeth small, simple in root and crown ; rostrum long and 

 narrow ; occipital and saggital crests prominent ; very much so in 

 old males; no underfur. 



Dental formula, I, 3 — 2; C, i — i ; P, 4 — 4; M, i — 13X2=34. 



Zalophus californianus Lesson. 



CALIFORNIA SEA LION. 



Color varying from tawny yellow^ through yellowish brown 

 to dull black, the greater number being brownish yellow^ 



Length of adult males from seven to ten feet, and of females 

 five to- six feet; to end of outstretched flippers would be a foot 

 more. I measured the large male spoken of later. His length 

 to end of tail was 2490 mm. (98 inches) ; outstretched hind flip- 

 pers 940 mm. (37 inches) from tip to tip. I estimated his weight 

 at more than 500 pounds. I have seen larger seals of this species. 



California Sea Lions are found along the Californian and 

 Mexican coast from some distance north of San Francisco south- 

 east to the Tres Marias Islands off the coast of southern Mexico. 

 In 1884 I saw Sea Lions along the Sonoran coast of the Gulf of 

 California which were probably of this species. These Sea Lions 

 are not now found generally distributed along the coast of Cali- 

 fornia, but resort to favorite rocky beaches on the Islands and to 

 little islets along the coast where they are not molested. 



