"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.... Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof." 1 Chron. 16:31,32.
A stranger approaching San Miguel Island, 50 miles off the coast of California, might wonder at the noise he hears, increasing in volume the closer he gets to its rocky shore. He would soon discover the source-a colony of California sea lions, part of the 35,000 sea lions that make this their summer home. Big bulls, six to seven feet in length and weighing 650 pounds or more, roar during their waking hours to warn rival males to stay away. Females join in the noise, but with a softer bark, while the little "pups" bleat like lost sheep. The noise is deafening and certainly not a place for a seaside picnic.
Altogether there are about 90,000 sea lions in the Pacific Ocean, most along California's coast, but many on the shores of Japan as well. They have stream-lined bodies with smooth, round heads and can swim up to 25 miles per hour. The Creator gave them brown, warm fur to insulate them from cold and heat. Their bodies also are wrapped with thick blubber to protect from the cold.
In some ways they are similar to the walrus, but without its tusks and tough whiskers. But, like the walrus, their food is shrimp, shellfish, squid and many kinds of fish. They are excellent swimmers and divers and can stay underwater for half an hour. In this, too, the Lord God, their Creator, provided for them by giving them ears and nostrils, controlled by muscles, which automatically close when submerged.
Frequently fights occur between the huge males as they compete for a spot on the shore. These are frightful to witness, as sharp teeth make bloody wounds. However, their thick blubber protects them from serious injury, and it is rare for one to die from its wounds.
In the Bering Sea and Pribilof Islands of the far north, another species of sea lion lives-the Stellar. Though not as numerous as the California variety, they are much larger with some reaching ten feet in length and weighing as much as a ton. They are more adapted to the frigid northern Pacific waters, but sometimes small groups come farther south.
Pups are born on land at the time the males are with their harems, so are protected by the males. Immediately after birth the mother and her single pup "talk" constantly to each other. They become so well acquainted with each other's voice that they can identify one another by calling through the group's noise if they become separated. The pups quickly take to the water where they love to play, often forming "pods" (like gangs of teen-agers) and act tough, but it is all in play. If trained, they quickly learn tricks.
Many sea lions, living in obscure places, are never seen by people, but there is One whose eye is always on them. "For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven." Job 28:2424For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; (Job 28:24). The Bible also tells us, "The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men." Psa. 11:44The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. (Psalm 11:4). What does He see when His eyes rest on you?