Stellar Sea Lion eating a Skate

Stellar sea lions are basically the grizzly bears of the ocean world. Size wise we are talking roughly the 3m|9ft long and can weigh up to 1,200kg|2,500lbs. That and have a very similar teeth morphology to a Grizzly bear! When onshore they are curious, yet hesitate to allow anything to come anywhere near them. They have evolved and adapted to be agile in the marine world in comparison to when they are on land. Hence, if they do feel afraid or spooked their first reaction is to stampede into the water.

However ,when you are diving with them in their more comfortable medium they are similar to large puppy dogs - inquisitively swimming well within your personal space to investigate who you are. Most probably due to our lack of agility and maneuverability in the water compared to themselves.

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At times you get lucky enough to see them feeding at the surface. In this case this large male caught a skate and was throwing it side to side to get to the meat. The splashing around caught the eye of many aerial scavengers, also known as, seagulls ~ whom began harassing the marine mammal to feed of the scraps.

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I love it! You never know what you are going to encounter when you push off the dock and head out to explore the coastline of Vancouver Island

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Thanks for reading and all the support, Steemit!!

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