On April 8th, Oceans of Fun based out of the Milwaukee County Zoo, welcomed a happy and healthy California sea lion pup. Named Sequoia, the pup weighed just 13lbs at birth. Oceans of Fun is dedicated to ocean conservation and serves as one of a handful of sea lion breeding centers in North America.

Below: Sequoia plays with her chew toy and proves my theory that sea lions are basically Labrador retrievers with flippers.

More below the fold

Biting her tail, er, flipper…

;

And sometimes they look like bats apparently…

At birth, Sequoia weighed 13 pounds, and currently weighs in at a healthy 25 pounds.  When mature, California sea lions usually weigh between 600 to 900 pounds for a male and 200 to 250 pounds for a female, each eating approximately 20 to 30 pounds of fish per day. 

California sea lions are known for their playful personalities and their ability to learn quickly.  These warm-blooded, air-breathing mammals are able to stay underwater for up to 20 minutes.  California sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. 

Oceans of Fun is based out of the Milwaukee County Zoo and offers interactive programs for kids and adults, summer camps and daily shows for Zoo visitors. The show is uniquely designed to both entertain and educate visitors about seals and sea lions and includes conservational messages regarding marine mammals. This year’s shows include four  other sea lions as well as two harbor seals. Dedicated to Ocean conservation, Oceans of Fun summer camps and interactive programs  allow visitors to meet these animals personally while learning about today’s environmental causes.   

Oceans of Fun is also one of the few active California sea lion breeding facilities in the Country.  Pup updates as well as program reservations can be found at http://www.oceansoffun.org