Seals are not commonly seen in the Newport Beach area. I usually tell people, in our area, if you see something you want to call a seal, it's most likely a sea lion.
The first picture is a harbor seal we spotted on Catalina Island, 1/25/15. The next 3 pictures are a harbor seal, actually in the Newport Beach harbor, spotted on 8/21/15. These are the only seals I remember seeing in the past 2 years of taking whale watching trips out of DAVEY'S LOCKER and NEWPORT LANDING. Each picture past these first 4 are of Sea Lions, all taken here in the Newport Beach area.
Seals and sea lions are marine mammals called 'pinnipeds' that differ in physical characteristics and adaptations. Sea lions are generally brown in color, "bark" loudly, "walk" on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps. Sea lions are regularly seen on docks, rocks and buoys, as seals, generally, are not capable of getting up on these surfaces. Seals have small flippers, wriggle on their bellies on land, and lack visible ear flaps and ...have no vocal chords. Another interesting characteristic is that sea lions are very social and "pile" on top of one another for hours at a time. Seals, on the other hand, are pretty much "loners."
The pictures of myself and a young boy petting a baby seal lion...it is NOT recommended to interact this closely with sea lions outside of ones in protected care. Though, generally, very laid back and playful...they can be unpredictable when interacting with them so closely. This baby's mother was swimming right off the rocks, seemingly comfortably watching the attention given her baby, but, again, not recommended. :)
The first picture is a harbor seal we spotted on Catalina Island, 1/25/15. The next 3 pictures are a harbor seal, actually in the Newport Beach harbor, spotted on 8/21/15. These are the only seals I remember seeing in the past 2 years of taking whale watching trips out of DAVEY'S LOCKER and NEWPORT LANDING. Each picture past these first 4 are of Sea Lions, all taken here in the Newport Beach area.
Seals and sea lions are marine mammals called 'pinnipeds' that differ in physical characteristics and adaptations. Sea lions are generally brown in color, "bark" loudly, "walk" on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps. Sea lions are regularly seen on docks, rocks and buoys, as seals, generally, are not capable of getting up on these surfaces. Seals have small flippers, wriggle on their bellies on land, and lack visible ear flaps and ...have no vocal chords. Another interesting characteristic is that sea lions are very social and "pile" on top of one another for hours at a time. Seals, on the other hand, are pretty much "loners."
The pictures of myself and a young boy petting a baby seal lion...it is NOT recommended to interact this closely with sea lions outside of ones in protected care. Though, generally, very laid back and playful...they can be unpredictable when interacting with them so closely. This baby's mother was swimming right off the rocks, seemingly comfortably watching the attention given her baby, but, again, not recommended. :)
