Notice how their rear flippers are situated to allow them to move fairly well on land as well as in the water. It is on land that the California sea lion must breed and give birth to its young. These marine mammals have developed a variety of reproductive strategies and biologists here at the National Zoo are trying to find out just what the different adaptations mean. Sea lions, for example, like the ones you see here, go to sea for months at a time to feed, then come back and gather together in big groups for breeding and birthing. Later the females leave their calves alone for days so they can go to sea and feed again.
Different seals have different reproductive strategies.
Hooded seals belong to a group of seals that cannot easily move on land, although they are champion swimmers and divers.