Baby sea lion flawlessly stops and looks both ways before crossing the street

The Galapagos Islands are home to some amazing and unique animals. The sea lion is possibly one of the most entertaining of all of them. Playful, curious, and intelligent, they are a hit with tourists and residents alike. They spend a good deal of time hunting for octopus and fish in the ocean, but they also sleep and wander on land a lot. Almost any beach is dotted with sea lions of all ages, and they frequently stretch out on tables and park benches, and sprawl out on the sand to snooze in the sun. Aptly called "sea dogs", these hilarious animals are more like our canine friends than any other creature.

This very young sea lion was waddling across the sand in a typically awkward fashion. Although graceful in the water, they are adorably clumsy and slow on land. They walk on their flippers like legs, but they drag their chubby bodies along for most of the way, stopping to rest frequently. A surprised tourist watched the baby sea lion approaching her as she sat on the curb, waiting for a taxi. The sea lion chose the spot at the curb between the tourist and a large marine iguana. He reached up and planted a flipper to help as he hopped onto the curb and wiggled himself over. He dropped onto the pavement and edged toward the traveled portion of the road. Amazingly, he seemed to recognize the line where the vehicles travel and he stopped to look right and then left for oncoming cars before crossing the road. This display of traffic savvy was done flawlessly, like a textbook lesson right out of a child's traffic safety course. The sea lion continued across until he reached the sidewalk along the water. He rested for a while but soon continued down the stairs and into the surf.