Featured Image Credit: Nancy Chan/Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
By: Sarah Sharkey
An adorable baby sea lion was born earlier this month on May 20th in Vallejo, California. The young pup was born at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and is doing well by all accounts.
The zookeepers are uncertain if the pup is a boy or a girl yet. They are making sure that the pup and its mother are well adapted before they start to look for answers to that question. The mother of the pup is a 4-year-old sea lion named Pebbles. This is Pebbles first pup, but so far it looks like she is doing a great job raising her young pup.
Almost immediately after birth, Pebbles’ maternal instincts started to kick in. She has been successful at nursing the young pup, which is very important for he or she’s long-term development.
In the wild, a sea lion gives birth in late May or early June. The pups will stay onshore with their mothers for at least a week, sometimes slightly longer. The mothers then start going out to sea to forage for 1 to 3 days at a time with breaks of one day to feed the pup. After about 6 months, the pup will be fully weaned from its mother.
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