CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- There is another exciting arrival at Brookfield Zoo.
Brookfield Zoo anounced the birth of a California sea lion. The male pup was born on June 10 at Brookfield Zoo’s Pinniped Point.
Since the birth, the unnamed pup and his mom, 9-year-old Josephine, have been bonding behind the scenes, but the zoo said Friday that guests visiting will be able to view the latest addition by mid-July.
The last couple weeks, Josephine has been teacher her pup to swim. The zoo said animal care staff installed a temporary false floor making their pool shallow. As the pup becomes "more agile and proficient at swimming, the floor will be lowered to increase the pool’s depth."
According to the zoo, this is the second pup for Josephine. Her first pup was born in 2017 and was named Lucy. She still resides at Brookfield Zoo along with another 2-year-old named Taylor, who is the new pup’s half-brother. Josephine, and the sire, 16-year-old Tanner, are both wild-born and very important to the species genetic diversity in the accredited North American zoo population, the zoo said.
California sea lion pups weigh between 13 to 20 pounds at birth, and typically are born in the months of June and July. They nurse for at least five months and sometimes for more than a year. In the wild, for the first few weeks of life, they stay in tidal pools until they are able to swim and can go to sea with their mothers. Mother sea lions recognize their pups through smell, sight, and vocalizations.
"Although not threatened in their natural habitat along the west coast of North America from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico, California sea lions still face challenges," the zoo said in a statement. "Threats include entanglement in fishing gear, toxins they ingest from their prey, intentional dumping of toxic and hazardous waste, and changes in global atmosphere pressure that affects the availability of prey."
Today, the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act protects all marine mammals, including California sea lions.
Check out the photos below of the male Califonia sea lion pup:
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