Lazy giant sea lion rolls himself all the way to the water

Sea lions are among the most comical animals anywhere. The Galapagos Islands are home to thousands of them and they congregate on almost all beaches and rocky shores around the islands. They are enormous creatures, with the males weighing over 300 pounds when full grown. They have been named 'sea dogs' since the time they were first discovered by sailors who described them as being similar in appearance and behaviour to our canine friends. In Spanish, they are referred to as 'sea wolves'.Show more

With giant heads and enormous teeth, a male seal lion is a formidable creature and capable of defending his beach and his colony of females from almost any threat. Even humans keep a respectful distance from these bulls, even though they are not aggressive in most cases, if their space is respected.
For decades, people and sea lions have been sharing the beach at La Loberia, aptly named as it translates to the wolf in Spanish. The sea lions are endearing and entertaining and they will engage in playful behaviour with each other. Occasionally, a struggle for dominance ensues between rival males, as it did in this case. Patrolling the edge of the water and barking constantly, this large bull spied another male on the sandy ridge that overlooked his colony. Without hesitation, he began charging up the hill to frighten the intruder away. Wisely, the younger male ran away swiftly and disappeared over a sand dune.

The king of the beach was satisfied with this response and he turned to head back to the surf. But he realized that he had made his way almost to the top of the ridge, a long way from the water. Instead of waddling back clumsily, he plopped down on the sand and rolled like a giant caterpillar. He stopped briefly to sniff and kiss a female basking at the water's edge, then he rolled the rest of the way to the ocean. Only when he was a few steps away did he get up on his flippers and waddle into the shallows. As he did so, he passed a young couple that were taking pictures and the lady squealed and moved out of his way quickly. As if laughing, the sea lion barked his response and then headed out into the bay.