Sea lion found on farm 50 miles inland dies after release into ocean

The 160kg animal swam and waddled its way to the ranch in Washington state but has failed to survive the sea, biologists say

The sea lion at Soggy Bottom Farm near Oakville, Washington on 15 April, about 50 miles from the ocean. The sea lion was released into the sea but has now been found dead. Photograph: Lance Martin/AP

Associated Press

Friday 29 April 2016 01.24 BST

Last modified on Friday 29 April 201601.58 BST

A sea lion that baffled scientists after being found in the driveway of a cattle ranch about 80km (50 miles) from the ocean in Washington state has been found dead two weeks after being released into the sea.

The male California sea lion was released into Puget Sound on 15 April after it apparently swam and waddled its way to the ranch near Oakville, the Tacoma News Tribune reported.

But it has been found dead under a bridge in Olympia and biologists are now investigating the unusual case.

Dyanna Lambourn, a Washington state fish and wildlife biologist, examined the sea lion and found no immediate cause of death. Samples from the necropsy were sent this week to test for possible causes.

The animal’s wayward journey to Soggy Bottom Farm began some time before 15 April.

Ken Shively, a rancher, found the large animal in his driveway and initially thought it was a deer or elk. The sea lion was about 200m from a tributary of the Chehalis river, and roughly 80km of river, creek and drainage ditch travel from Washington’s coast.

He called state wildlife officials. “They didn’t believe us,” Shively told the News Tribune. “They were like, ‘A what? Can you describe that to us?’”

Bob Weaver, a sergeant with the agency’s enforcement division, said it was the most unusual call he had received in years.

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Scientists establish first map of the sea lion brain

Date: April 27, 2016

Source: Vanderbilt University

Summary:Despite considerable evidence for the California sea lion's intelligence, very little is known about how their brain is organized. Now, a team of neuroscientists has taken an important step toward uncovering this mystery by conducting the first comprehensive study of the California sea lion's central nervous system, concentrating on the somatosensory system, which is concerned with conscious perception of touch, pressure, pain, temperature, position and vibration.

Rio is a California sea lion who can solve IQ tests that many people have trouble passing. In fact, she is so smart that scientists at the Long Marine Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz designed a series of tests that prove she is the first animal besides humans that can use basic logic (If A=B and B=C then A=C).

Rio's display of intelligence is less surprising when you consider the fact that she is a member of one of only four groups of animals that have evolved extremely large brains (weighing more than 1.5 pounds). Along with seals and walruses, she is part of a group of fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals called pinnipeds. The other large-brained groups are humans, elephants and cetaceans (whales and dolphins).

Read on ...

Sea Lion 'Aerospace': High-Thrust, Low Wake

Megan Leftwich, George Washington University | August 12, 2015 01:23am ET

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

The California sea lion has a unique way of moving through the ocean. This highly maneuverable aquatic mammal produces thrust primarily with its foreflippers – the ones it has where you have hands. Despite being fast, efficient and agile, this sea lion swimming technique is quite different from the way other large fish and marine mammals move through the water.

It wouldn’t be easy to design a system from scratch that could match the sea lion’s specifications – they produce high levels of thrust while leaving little traceable wake structure. So it makes sense to learn as much as we can about how they do it – with the thought that someday we might be able to engineer something that mimics our biological model.

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