Distribution and Numbers

There are three subspecies of Zalophus californianus. The California sea lion (Z. c. californianus) is found from southern Mexico up to British Columbia and breeds almost entirely on islands in southern California, western Baja California and the Gulf of California. The Galapagos sea lion (Z. c. wollebaeki) is found on the Galapagos Islands and also occasionally in coastal Ecuador and Colombia. The Japanese sea lion (Z. c. japonicus) is now believed to be extinct but was formerly found in the Sea of Japan. Some scientists believe that these three subspecies should in fact be classed as separate species, namely Z. californianus, Z. wollebaeki, and Z. japonicus.



It is estimated that there around 210,000 California sea lions in the United States and there are believed to be 31,000 in the Gulf of California. An estimate of 74,000 has been made for the western Baja California population but this estimate is considered unreliable, recent counts indicating that there are fewer sea lions than this. There is no up-to-date count of Galapagos sea lions, the last reported population estimate of 30,000 being made in the late 1970s.









Z.c. californianus

Photo: Phillip Colla,

Phillip Colla Wildlife Photography