Grumpy sea lion warns tourist to pick another picnic table

The Galapagos Islands are home to incredibly diverse and abundant animal life. The locals here have learned to live in complete harmony with nature and they interfere as little as possible. One of the animals that thrives here is the sea lion. They inhabit almost every beach and rocky section of shore along the islands. They also make their way inland at times and they often cross paths with humans.Show more

Such was the case with these sea lions at Puerto Chino Beach on San Cristobal Island. They had waddled up the beach and found shade and a flat surface to sleep on. A picnic table under the trees made an ideal bed for one large sea lion, while a second one snoozed underneath it in the shade. This is not unusual as sea lions have little fear of the humans here. Often they are mildly curious, and in the case of the mature males, occasionally they are even aggressive toward humans. When the tourist filming this pair approached the picnic table quietly, he found the slumbering seal lions to be quite amusing. Moving slowly and carefully, he extended his GoPro pole and filmed the scene.

The sea lion seems largely unconcerned with the camera, despite opening one eye to keep watch a couple of times. However, at one point, the sea lion lets out a sudden warning bark that clearly tells the camera man to pick another table. Respectfully, he moves back and does just that.

Sea lions are extremely entertaining, with their dog like personalities, cute faces and furry bodies. Especially as young pups, they act like you would expect a pet to act and it is hard to resist picking them up and cuddling with them. One little known fact is that sea lions are extremely likely to abandon their young if they have had any contact at all with humans. For this reason, they must be avoided at all costs, even if they beg for attention.