Female sea lions typically give birth to one pup in a year. But a Sierra Club San Diego docent recently observed what she believes to be rare twin newborns at La Jolla Cove.
The docent reported seeing a sea lion mother with one pup with a very small umbilical cord and another with placenta attached to it at the western end of The Cove around 6 a.m. June 14.
Docents are considered “harbor seal and sea lion ambassadors” who work in shifts to make observations and remind people not to get close to the animals.
Robyn Davidoff, chairwoman of the Sierra Club Seal Society, said the docent didn’t witness the births so “can’t definitively say they are twins.”
“But we’re pretty darn sure,” Davidoff said.
“There’s certain situations where that could not have been twins,” Davidoff said. “Sometimes there might be another sea lion mom nearby that gave birth and either left it or its current mom saw it and was confused so she took care of them. But because they were both newborns, we think that’s unlikely.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, male California sea lions are polygamous, with up to 14 female partners in their breeding territories. Pupping season begins in mid-May, with most births occurring in June.
SeaWorld says the total gestation period for sea lions is 11 to 11½ months. As a result, females typically give birth to just one pup per year.
Twin births have been documented in zoological habitats, but not in the wild, according to SeaWorld. In 2012, SeaWorld Orlando welcomed twins by a 14-year-old mom.
Davidoff reiterated the reminder for people to stay a safe distance from sea lions at La Jolla Cove — “at least 20 to 50 feet, which is two car lengths … so they don’t disturb the mom and the pups.”
The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act carries potentially heavy fines and/or prison time for harassing, touching and feeding marine mammals such as sea lions and seals.
The apparent birth of twins isn’t the first sea lion-related oddity in La Jolla this year.
In February, a male juvenile sea lion was recovered in a dramatic rescue in the front yard of a house nearly a mile from the coast. The pup was sent to SeaWorld San Diego for rehabilitation.
A sea lion pup from La Jolla Cove is believed to have made its way to a house almost a mile away and needed to be rescued. (Laura Spielman)
The pup was thought to have made its way out of The Cove, likely in the nighttime or early morning in late January, and wandered through The Village and across Torrey Pines Road before settling in the yard on Massena Street near La Jolla Country Club. ♦