Saint Louis Zoo World Oceans Day Booklett
Name: Seal and Sea Lion Fun Facts:
Happy World Oceans Day! For our SEALebration, we will explore cool pinniped facts and learn about ways you can help seals, sea lions, and all marine animals in the wild! •Sea lions, seals and walruses are marine mammals belonging to an order, or group, called pinnipeds, which means “fin-footed” or “wing-footed.” •They both have a thick layer of blubber under their fur, which helps with buoyancy and swimming, serves as an energy reserve, and helps to regulate their body temperature. •Seals and sea lions are carnivores, which means they eat meat. They both eat fish and other ocean animals. •Their whiskers contain nerves that make them sensitive to vibrations. They use their whiskers to find their way around and detect vibrations from prey in the water. •Seals and sea lions both have a sleek, torpedo-shaped body that helps them swim and dive to catch their prey. California Sea Lion Coloring Page
California Sea Lion Fun Facts: California sea lions are found along the west coast in the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Baja, California, south to Mexico and north into British Columbia, Canada. Sea lions have very large front flippers which they use to get their chests off the ground and sit upright. Sea lions can rotate their rear flippers forward and underneath them so they can walk on all four flippers, getting their stomachs off the ground. Sea lions can also be distinguished by the presence of external ear pinnae, or ear flaps. Did you know? 90 percent of sea lions both in the wild and in zoos are born in June, and 50 percent of those sea lions are born June 15! All but one of our sea lions at the Zoo were born in June and three of them (Roby, Rosie and Nipper) were born on June 15! Harbor Seal Coloring Page
Harbor Seal Fun Facts: Harbor seals are commonly found in the coastal waters of the north atlantic and pacific ocean. Seals have very small front flippers and cannot sit upright but instead lie flat. Seals do not have a rotating hip bone, so their rear flippers are always out behind them and they cannot get their stomachs off the ground. Seals can only scoot along on their bellies like an inchworm. Seals do not have external ear pinnae, or ear flaps, but on each side of their head you will notice a small hole where their ear is located. Did you know? The dark rings and spots on their coats serve as identification tools similar to a human’s fingerprints – their markings are unique to each individual. Meet the Sea Lions and Seals that call the Saint Louis Zoo Home!
The Saint Louis Siblings Roby and Rosie were born at the Saint Louis Zoo and have been doing shows since they were 8 months old. Their moth- ers were twin sisters who gave birth on the exact same day! Roby: June 15, 2001
Roby is the biggest Blues fan of all the sea lions. He is good buddies with the Blues’ mascot, Louie, and is the only sea lion ever to eat squid out of the Stanley Cup.
Rosie: June 15, 2001
Rosie is the proud owner of the longest and most beautiful whiskers. She is very timid but very sweet, and she is the definition of a diva. Everything gets done on Rosie’s time! Meet the Sea Lions and Seals that call the Saint Louis Zoo Home!
The Show Girls
Nikki: June 18, 2010
Nikki is the prettiest of all the sea lions and loves spending time with all the boys. She is the only sea lion not born in St. Louis or San Antonio; Nikki’s from Orlando, Florida!
Dixi: June 28, 2010
Dixi may be small in stature but, she is the loudest of all the sea lions. Her “yell” has been featured on ESPN and has been heard echoing through the Enterprise Center during Blues games. She also has an endless amount of energy and could interact with guests in the tunnel all day long! Meet the Sea Lions and Seals that call the Saint Louis Zoo Home!
The Show Girls
Mandy: April 8, 2011
Mandy is the only one of the sea lions not born in the month of June. She is very excitable and gets so into her training that she often vocalizes after she does a behavior correctly. The more excited her trainer gets, the more excited and louder Mandy’s “happy vocal” gets!
Mia: June 3, 2011 Mia may be the youngest animal at the Judy and Jerry Kent Family Sea Lion Sound, but she has one of the biggest personalities! She has a very distinct “goat vocal” and is known for sticking out and sucking on her tongue. Meet the Sea Lions and Seals that call the Saint Louis Zoo Home!
The Habitat Boys
Nipper: June 15, 2002
Nipper is the second oldest and second largest male sea lion (next to Roby). He can usually be spotted snoozing on the bottom of the pool. This is perfectly normal; sea lions can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes!
Fun Fact: Nipper is Lou’s half brother!
Lou: June 17, 2004
Lou is very timid and cautious. He generally observes things from afar, but interacts with enrichment in the tunnel more than Nipper.
Fun Fact: Lou’s favorite enrichment item is the large rubber duck! Meet the Sea Lions and Seals that call the Saint Louis Zoo Home!
The Habitat Boys Boulder: June 9, 2007 Boulder is the darkest of the male sea lions. He is the most likely to interact with enrichment and often blows bubbles at the items he sees.
Fun Fact: Boulder often lays on top of the tunnel with his flippers tucked in, making him look like a sea lion loaf!
The Harbor Seals
Gabby: May 13, 2010
Gabby is extremely particular about what types of fish she likes. If she doesn’t want a certain fish at a certain time, she will immediately spit it out. Gabby’s eyes are more squinty than Doris and is more likely to interact with guests at the underwater viewing windows.
Meet the Sea Lions and Seals that call the Saint Louis Zoo Home!
The Harbor Seals Doris: April 23, 2010
Doris is the only seal that knows how to vocalize on cue. Doris looks very similar to Gabby but is more wide-eyed and has light patches behind her ears that look like earmuffs!
Nuna: July 8, 1999
Nuna is the oldest pinniped at Sea Lion Sound and will be turning 21 years old next month! She has recently taken quite a liking to interacting with guests at the viewing windows. With her light grey coat, she is very easy to tell apart from Doris and Gabby. Do you want to be a hero for seals and sea lions? Here are some things you can do to help care for seals and sea lions in their ocean habitat.
Seafood Watch It’s important that we buy seafood from suppliers that farm or fish in ways that will ensure the long-term health of the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes. To make sure you are buying seafood that doesn’t harm fish populations or the ocean, download the Seafood Watch Mobile App by Monterey Bay Aquarium on your smartphone and use it when you buy seafood.
#byetobags Just one family making the change to reusable bags can keep 1,500 plastic bags out of the ocean each year! The Saint Louis Zoo’s teen volunteer group, Zoo ALIVE has partnered with The Ocean Project in an effort to eliminate disposable plastic bags. 100,000 marine mammals are killed annually from plastic in our oceans. While it may seem that this happens far away from us, what we do in our own backyard makes an impact around the world. By taking the pledge to use reusable bags at stlzoo.org/byetobags, you can make a difference for the world’s oceans.