Recently I've been getting quite a few questions about small groups of marine mammals observed swimming near shore off Bodega Head. They're moving so quickly that it can be hard to make out different features. But most of the time these are likely to be California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) porpoising at the surface, as shown above.
In photos, you can make out that they're sea lions pretty easily, but as they're swimming by sometimes you'll only see a smooth dark back, so it can be confusing.
Sleek sea lions swimming swiftly at the surface!
3 comments:
Thank you for confirming what they are!
Maybe being chased?
Well, I'm not sure what the exact percentage would be, but much of the time this is a normal travel mode for sea lions, so it doesn't necessarily indicate a nearby predator. We commonly see them swimming this way just off Bodega Head. And if there are swells, sometimes you can even catch them surfing:
https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2018/07/in-surf-zone.html
Jackie
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