When I was in Argentina recently to photograph southern right whales, one of our secondary goals was to also photograph South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens), aka “southern sea lions”. In 2019 we had spent a little time with them near Puerto Madryn, but that rookery is heavily visited and has restrictions on what people can do and how long they can remain in the water (to protect and minimize stress on the sea lions). This year we opted to visit a distant colony of South American sea lions from Puerto Piramides, and it was an absolute success. This particular group of sea lions never sees humans and as such is quite naive. Their behavior with us was not conditioned by repeated previous exposure to divers, in fact most of these sea lions had probably never looked a human in the eye in the water before. They were at once both timid and curious, and after a few minutes in the water we found ourselves surrounded by dozens of inquisitive sea lions. I love pinnipeds and have made great efforts over 30 years to see them in many different places in North and South America; this visit with them was as rewarding an encounter as I have experienced anywhere. Here are some southern sea lion images that made the edit cut from my recent visit to Peninsula Valdes in Argentina. Cheers, and thanks for looking!
South American sea lions underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38269
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mature adult male South American sea lion and juvenile, hauled out on rocks to rest and warm in the sun, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38363
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38264
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38270
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions hauled out on rocks to rest and warm in the sun, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38361
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38394
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
Mature adult male South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38395
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38263
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38265
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38268
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38271
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38272
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lions hauled out on rocks to rest and warm in the sun, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38275
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38343
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 38344
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Piramides, Chubut, Argentina
South American sea lion underwater, Otaria flavescens, Patagonia, Argentina.
Image ID: 35930
Species: South American Sea Lion, Otaria flavescens
Location: Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
