Californian sea lion

The Californian sea lion can reach speeds of 40 km/h, which is faster than any other sea lion species.
When the sea lion swims, it uses its front flippers for propulsion and its hind flippers for steering. Seals do the opposite.

Sea lions belong to the eared seal family, which includes 14 species. The sea lion is also an aquatic predator and their dentition shows their kinship with terrestrial predators. The sea lion's ancestor lived on land, but through evolution the sea lion has returned to the sea.
The sea lion's cheek teeth are pointed and designed to hold prey before it is swallowed. The sea lion's guard bristles - sensory hairs on the snout - are used to detect fish that swim in front of the sea lion.
The sea lion is able to drink sea water. To remove the ingested salts, the sea lion's kidneys are larger than those of terrestrial predators.

The sea lion's eyes are made for dark water. The large eyes allow the sea lion to see in clear water and the lens in the eye is spherical and highly refractive, just like in fish. Above the surface of the water, the sea lion has the poorest vision.

California sea lions are social animals that live in groups. They are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy "barking"

Killer whales, sharks and humans are the sea lion's enemies. Many sea lions drown in fishing nets.

• Distribution: West coast of the United States. A subspecies also lives on the Galapagos Islands
• Population: Not threatened
• Weight: Males: 150-300 kilos. Females: 50-90 kilos
• Body length: Males up to 2.2 metres, females up to 1.8 metres
• Mating season: Spring
• Sexual maturity: Males: age five years. Females: age three
• Gestation: 11-12 months
• Number of cubs: 1
• Food: Fish, squid
• Life expectancy: 20-25 years
• Latin name: Zalophus californianus

No fish is free

It looks like fun and games when zookeepers train with the sea lions at the zoo, but it's actually serious work and crucial for the animals' well-being.

For many visitors to the zoo, one of the highlights is the sea lion feeding, where the agile animals perform acrobatic exercises at the command of the zookeepers. But while it's both entertaining and fascinating for the audience to watch, the exercises are first and foremost done for the animals.

In the wild, sea lions spend many hours every day searching for fish, finding places to sleep and making sure they don't get caught by orcas, great white sharks or other predators. Sea lions in zoos, on the other hand, live a much more peaceful and pampered life, where food is served every day and no enemies threaten them. Therefore, they need to be challenged and activated in other ways, which is why the zookeepers train with them several times a day, every single day.

The exercises that the sea lions learn have several purposes. They stimulate the animals and keep them both physically and mentally healthy, and the keepers make sure to extend the exercises and add new ones so that the sea lions are constantly challenged at an appropriate pace.

Many of the exercises are done so that the keeper can perform daily health checks on the sea lions. Among other things, the animals learn to be touched, have their flippers examined and learn to open their mouths so that their teeth can be examined.

Mistakes are not penalised

When sea lions are trained, it is based on a principle called "positive reinforcement". Unlike in the past, when animals were often trained with punishment and fear, today they are trained with rewards only. With this method, animals are rewarded every time they show the desired behaviour, while incorrect behaviour or "mistakes" are simply ignored and not rewarded.