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Welcome to our Screening Room!Learn about sea lions and why they are called sentinels of the sea by The Marine Mammal Center just north of San Francisco. Wildlife & Animal Documentaries Unleashed has fun with creating fiction based on fact about these playful pinnipeds. Find out how these marine mammals manage to keep the faith in the face of adversity. This gospel number will make you say "Amen!".Find out more about WADU (Wildlife & Animal Documentaries Unleashed) CALIFORNIA SEA LIONSAlthough like many people, I was already familiar with the gregarious sea lions, known for their talkative nature and athletic ability; I learned a lot about them after observing them in rehab at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and the healthy wild ones at Pier 39 in San Francisco. The folks at TMMC affectionately call their visitors ÒSentinels of the SeaÓ since they communicate a lot about the state of the ocean through the condition of their bodies. Global warming has had a big impact on marine mammals. Many sea lions end up at TMMC due to sickness from domoic acid, a bi-product of a commonly eaten algae that has become toxic for the sea lions due to the recent increase in oceanic temperatures. The sickness brings about seizures and other major ailments that result in their need to be rescued by places like TMMC and other rescue and rehab organizations. They also end up in rehab due to starvation and gun shot wounds- can you believe that someone would shoot a sea lion?! I was horrified when I found this out. I noticed that the sea lions struck a consistent pose at TMMC with their nose to the sky that struck me as very spiritual. The vet tech that I interviewed, Deb Wickham, explained that it was their way of trying to communicate that they were less vulnerable than they actually were to ward off potential predators. Vocabulary: Seals, sea lions, and walruses are pinnipeds, a feather-footed marine mammal. This information is the product of my interview with vet tech, Deb Wickham at The Marine Mammal Center. Here are some other websites to check out to learn more about these marine mammals and how you can help increase their survival rate:www.marinemammalcenter.org http://nationalzoo.si.edu www.darwinfoundation.org www.afsc.noaa.gov www.pier39.com http://lsb.syr.edu http://ourworld.compuserve.com Back to Screening Directory |
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