Photo courtesy of the New England Aquarium
By: Sarah Sharkey
A sea lion pup, Ron, just turned one at the New England Aquarium. The young pup was born on
July 2nd of last year at only 15 pounds. Throughout the past year he was grown to a whopping
100 pounds, but he is not done growing yet! By the time he is done growing, he should weigh
between 800 to 1,000 pounds!
Although he is one year old, he is not anywhere close to adulthood. He is a “toddler age” if you
compare his growth stage to humans. He will not be fully mature until he reaches 7 or 8 years
old.
In fact, the young sea lion does not even eat whole fish yet. He likes to play with fish but is not
quite ready to start eating them.
He has been swimming since he has 3 weeks old, but he did not meet any other seals until he
was one month old. At that time, he met a young fur seal named Lana, the two have become
favorite playmates.
Other than playing with Lana, one of his favorite things to do is play with the pool hose. The
staff toss him droplets and he just loves catching them in his mouth!
Overall, this young sea lion is growing up to be a great addition to the family. His mother is
training him to behave the like best sea lion possible and it can be fun to watch. If you get the
chance, then go visit him at the New England Aquarium!
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