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The Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus Neophoca, with the extinct Pleistocene New Zealand sea lion Neophoca palatina the only known congener. With a population estimated at 14,730 animals, the Wildlife Conservation Act of Western Australia (1950) has listed them as "in need of special protection". Their Conservation status is listed as endangered. These pinnipeds are specifically known for their abnormal breeding cycles, which are varied between a 5-month breeding cycle and a 17-18 month aseasonal breeding cycle, compared to other pinnipeds which fit into a 12-month reproductive cycle. Females are either silver or fawn with a cream underbelly and males are dark brown with a yellow mane and are bigger than the females. Distribution Australian sea lions are sparsely distributed across their range, from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands (28°S, 114°E) in Western Australia, along the southern Australian coast to The Pages Islands (35°46’S, 138°18’E) in South Australia. Sixty-six (66) breeding colonies have been identified, with 28 in Western Australia and 38 in South Australia. Most breeding colonies exist on offshore islands, with the exception of Point Labatt in South Australia, Baxter Cliffs (west of Twilight Cove) in Western Australia, and the Bunda Cliffs, Great Australian Bight, which straddles the border between the two states. Forty-two (42%) percent of the total known population are found within the three largest colonies east of Port Lincoln; Seal Bay (on Kangaroo Island's south coast), The Pages and Dangerous Reef (in Spencer Gulf). The species' breeding range has contracted as the population has fallen. Now-extinct breeding colonies previously existed in the Bass Strait, particularly on Clarke Island and adjacent islands in the Furneaux Group. The Abrolhos Island breeding colony is believed to be much smaller today than it was prior to European settlement. Kangaroo Island's northeasterly coasts, in addition to some islands near Perth and Albany, once hosted now-extinct breeding colonies. Phylogeny The Australian sea lion is a pinniped, most closely related to other species of sea lions and fur seals making up the family Otariidae. These mammals use their flippers to propel themselves in water and can walk on land with their flippers. Australian sea lions share distinct features with other sea lions. These include short fur, short flippers and a bulky body. Communication In pinnipeds, mothers and pups are frequently separated throughout nursing and are thus expected to have evolved an efficient individual recognition system. Consequentially, in Australian sea lions, as in many social mammals, mothers and their offspring can identify each other. Individual recognition produces mutual benefits by avoiding misdirected maternal care and therefore energy expenditure for mothers, and the risk of injury for young approaching unrelated, potentially dangerous, adult females. Individual recognition can be accomplished with a combination of several sensory modalities, including olfaction, vision, and audition. The use of olfactory cues as a close range recognition mechanism allows mothers to further confirm their pup's identity. In contrast to recent olfactory studies in pinnipeds which showed the presence but not a natural function of olfaction in pinnipeds, the present study shows that wild Australian sea lions use their olfactory abilities in a functional manner, by discrimination between the scents of their own offspring and a non-filial pup. However, in a dynamic, crowded colony, the acoustic channel seems to be the most reliable modality. For pinnipeds, neither visual nor olfactory cues are likely to be the primary modality for mother–pup recognition. Male Australian sea lions were observed producing three different call types: a barking call, a bleating call and a female-like call. The predominant call type produced by males of all ages was the barking call. The barking call of Australian sea lions was similar in structure to the barking calls described in some other species of otariid in that it was a short sound produced repetitively in a series. Mature Australian sea lion males were found to emit the barking call in almost all social interactions, despite the existence of at least three call types in their vocal repertoire, plus a guttural threat and growl. While Australian sealions have a reputation for curiosity and playfulness during interactions with humans, their bite (albeit rare) can require hospitalisation. Diet Australian sea lions have been described as opportunistic, benthic foragers. Limited stomach content and faecal analyses have identified a wide variety of prey in the diet of the Australian sea lion, including teleost fish, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, sharks (including Port Jackson sharks), Southern rock lobster, other small crustaceans and Little penguins. Regurgitate and stomach samples from Australian sea lions at Seal Bay contained hard parts consisting predominantly of benthic taxa. This supports previous evidence that this species forages primarily on neritic, benthic prey, many of which are non-migratory. For the cephalopod component of the Australian sea lion diet, octopus and giant Australian cuttlefish made up the greatest biomass of prey taxa. Although the Australian sea lion feeds off seasonally available prey such as semelparous cephalopods, it also exploits prey species that are available throughout the year, such as Southern rock lobster and many fish species. Observations from the 1930s in Western Australian noted that Australian sea lions seemed to be subsisting on little penguins during the summer, and that their regular diet didn't compete with commercial fisheries. Also in the 1930s, the animal was described informally as "rather fond of penguins". They were known to feed on little penguins in the 1960s. Predators Adult Australian sea lions are eaten by great white sharks and orca (killer whales); pups are vulnerable to attack by other smaller shark species. Additionally, pups may be inadvertently killed by other animals, such as stingrays. The young and naïve sea lions may become overly curious or confident, possibly even hunting rays, and receive a lethal sting. The blue-ringed octopus may also spark a young animal's curiosity; a fatal error, with blue-ringed octopuses being among the most poisonous, deadliest cephalopods. They may also be killed by larger male sea lions and fur seals, if they are smaller, weaker or alone and vulnerable. Breeding behaviour As of 2020, 66 breeding colonies have been identified: 28 in Western Australia and 38 in South Australia. The animals breed on at least 50 islands, 27 in Western Australia and 23 in Southern Australia. Prior to a study that took place from 1987 to 1992, thirty-one of the 50 islands were u.... Discover the Shannon Leone Fowler popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Shannon Leone Fowler books.