Robert HardingThese characterful sea mammals can be found from subarctic to tropical waters. Their long foreflippers, visible ears and the ability to walk on all fours mark them out from their close cousins, seals. Their name is a little misleading as they are actually more closely related to bears than lions. We chose some of our favourite sea lion pictures from the archive.
California sea lion female catching herring (Robert Harding/Michael Weber)
Stellers sea lions, Prince William Sound, Alaska (Robert Harding/Michael Quinton)
Californian sea lion, Cabo Pulmo Marine National Park, Baja California Sur, Mexico (Robert Harding/Reinhard Dirscherl)
Adult Steller (northern) sea lion in Southeast Alaska, USA. Pacific Ocean (Robert Harding/Michael Nolan)
California sea lion mother and pup at Los Islotes in the Gulf of California, Mexico (Robert Harding/Michael Nolan)
California sea lion, Cedros Island, Mexico (Robert Harding/Reinhard Dirscherl)
Adult Northern (Steller) sea lion bull looking for fish scraps from fishermen in Petersburg, Southeastern Alaska, United States of America (Robert Harding/Reinhard Dirscherl)
Australian sea lion, Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia (Robert Harding/Thorsten Milse)
See more photos of sea lions here