South American sea lion: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the South American sea lion lives – recorded in 7 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Otaria flavescens
Group	Seals, sea lions & walrus
Found in	7 countries
Continents	South America
Class	Mammal
Order	Carnivora
Family	Otariidae

Where does the South American sea lion live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the South American sea lion in 7 countries and territories across South America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the South American sea lion?

The South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) is a mammal in the order Carnivora and the family Otariidae, genus Otaria. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the South American sea lion

The South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens, formerly Otaria byronia), also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the western and southeastern coasts of South America. It is the only extant member of the genus Otaria, which also includes the extinct Otaria josefinae. The species is highly sexually dimorphic. Males have a large head and prominent mane. They mainly feed on fish and cephalopods and haul out on sand, gravel, rocky, or pebble beaches. Breeding males typically defend both territories and individual females, though this can vary. Less dominant males may try to achieve success by causing chaos in the group. The overall population of the species is considered stable, estimated at 265,000 animals.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article South American sea lion (revision 1368817536), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q333649 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).