Sea Lion vs. Seal
What’s The Difference Between Seals & Sea Lions?
SEA LIONS:
Earflaps
Long hairless foreflippers
Hindflippers rotate underneath to allow them to walk on land
Swim underwater using foreflippers like wings of a bird
Long smooth whiskers or vibrissae
SEALS:
Earholes
Short, hairy foreflippers & long claws
Move on land by wiggling on belly & keep hindflippers straight out
Swim by steering with foreflippers and powering with hindflipers
Whiskers are crimped or beaded
The fur-seals and sea-lions that are found in South Australia can be difficult to tell apart. However, the species differ in size, coat colour and behavior. The most common species that people may come across are the Australian Sea-lion and New Zealand Fur-seal.
Australian Sea-lions are larger than New Zealand Fur-seals and are usually lighter in colour. Adult males (like Henry) are dark or chocolate brown with a creamy white mane extending from their eyes to the lower neck and shoulders. They develop their golden mane when they are about seven years old. Adult female sea-lions are silver-grey to brown with a creamy white chest, throat and sides of their face.
New Zealand Fur-seals have much pointier snouts compared to sea-lions and are have a more even colour. Adult male New Zealand Fur-seals New Zealand Fur-seal are dark-grey to brown with a dark mane and paler fur around their muzzle. Adult females are dark-grey to brown with a slightly lighter chest and throat and darker belly.
Australian Sea-lion pups are chocolate brown when young but soon moult and can easily be confused with juveniles. New Zealand Fur-seal pups are dark-brown with a paler muzzle and belly and moult to a darker brown. In their first year as a juvenile they have a creamy mask around their eyes and a pale moustache. Juveniles of each species are similar in colour to adult females but smaller.
Biology of seals and sea lions