Sea lion's adorable begging gets him treats from fisherman

Sea lions are one of nature's most adorable and comical characters. They resemble dogs with flippers and big whiskers and their antics delight and captivate people everywhere. Early sailors actually named these lovable animals "sea dogs" and the name fits perfectly.

Like any dog begging for scraps, these sea lions have learned how to wait patiently and to use their compelling eyes to reach the hearts of even the most seasoned fisherman. When these tuna arrived at the pier, along with some red stonefish, the usual hilarious characters came running. Pelicans, a heron, a few iguanas, gulls, and two sea lions showed up, all hoping for some scraps.

As the fisherman cleaned the catch, a large sea lion and a baby stared at the fish. The baby followed the fisherman around the table and stayed close on his heels when he went to get another fish. He peered longingly into the baskets and sniffed at the enormous tuna, knowing that they were all too big for him to eat. At first, it seems as if the fisherman is immune to the pleading look and cries from the baby. But he can be seen making eye contact and sometimes giving the sea lion a hand gesture and few quiet words. It seems that beneath the surface, there is at least a little friendship between these two. But feeding wild animals is discouraged here, and for very good reason. The animals should never be allowed to confuse humans as a source of food.

A crowd gathers to see the interaction and to watch the fish being cleaned. They take pictures and they let out an "ooh" or "aah" as the baby performs adorably or stretches up to look at the fish. Every single person there is hoping that this adorable little fellow gets a treat. And then, quickly and surreptitiously, the fisherman flings a piece of fish skin towards the sea lion and everyone smiles. They had all been cheering for this persistent little sea dog.

The fisherman acts as if nothing happened. The sea lion flips the fish skin around playfully. Perhaps he is having fun with the scraps, or possibly he's trying to get it into position so he can swallow it. Either way, he captured the hearts of the crowd and they were all happy for him when he was finally able to swallow his meal.

After the fish was cleaned, the little sea lion made his way over to the stairs and slipped into the water to make his way out to the rocks.