Sea Lion Teeth: Everything You Need To Know About It

A sea lion is known for its playful behavior, intelligence, agility in the water, and goofy but cute appearance.

Sea lions are one of the many fascinating marine mammals in the oceans around the world. These social animals are found from the Californian sea to the coasts of Puerto Vallarta.

This marine animal can be found in all oceans around the world. Sea lions fall under the family of Otariidae, which they share with fur seals.

Sea lions have unique characteristics such as big ear flaps, fore-flippers, big chests, and thick hair. The feature that separates the sea lions from other seals is their ability to walk on all fours.

The sea lions are very social mammals, and you can always see them with other groups of sea lions, whether they are at sea or are on the land.

In the wild, most sea lions live for 20 years or less; the environmental factors put a limit to a non-captive sea lion’s life; however, a sea lion that lives in captivity can see its life expectancy reach around 30 years. After you learn all about sea lion teeth description, do read about duck teeth and hamster teeth.

Sea Lion Teeth Anatomy

California Sea lions are one of the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom. They appear to be cute and friendly; however, if threatened, they may be aggressive.

California sea lions have a chocolate brown-like color.

Males of this species can weigh up to 858 lb (390 kg) and have a bump on their head which is known as the sagittal crest. A female sea lion weighs similar but does not have the sagittal crest.

You may confuse a California sea lion with Steller sea lion; the most notable difference between them is that there is a presence of a thumb-sized gap between the rear tooth and the next tooth, which is found in Steller sea lions but not in California sea lions.

The California sea lions and many other large marine animals such as dolphins and whales have a type of skin that feels like rubber or boiled egg. The California sea lions can dive to the depth of 1,300 ft (396.2 m).

When they dive at these depths their heart bear may slow from 85 beats per minute while they are on land right down to just 10 beats per minute under the water.

We find that the exoskeleton system of a sea lion consists of bones, muscles, and tendons. The most notable difference here between land animals and sea lions is the color of muscles which is dark red in the case of sea lions.

A similar type of dark red muscle is found in other large marine animals. The digestive system of a sea lion consists of the stomach, esophagus, small and large intestine, organs like the liver and pancreas are important for a sea lion.

How many teeth do sea lions have?

Well, like humans, all sea lions have teeth. However, the number of teeth for sea lions and other large marine animals differs from species to species.

If you browse through your typical books, you will know that an average human has about 32 teeth. However, pinnipeds like walruses, sea lions, and other large animals of a similar type may have between the range of 34-38 teeth.

The teeth of these large sea lions are generally very sharp. The reason why their molars are not similar to those of humans or any other animals is that sea lions do not chew their food as humans do.

The main use of their pointy teeth is to shred fish that is too large to swallow. They use their sharp teeth to protect themselves against predators and competing sea lions.

How long are sea lion teeth?

You won't need to look too close to see that sea lions have teeth, but how long are sea lions' teeth?

The sea lions are carnivores, and their daily food menu consists of fish. Fish have enough nutrient content which is required by sea lions on a daily basis.

You might think that the menu of a sea lion stays consistent, but this menu can change according to the conditions of the region they are in; a sea lion teeth size is about 1-1.2 in (2-3 cm).

As the sea lion continues to grow old, they start to appear longer, and their teeth may start chipping because of improper chewing or because of old age.

The age of a sea lion can be determined by the color of its teeth.

A similar thing is applicable with other cousins of sea lions as they grow older. The incisor teeth in these animals possess two cusps, one at the back and another at the front.

Why are sea lion teeth black?

The sea lion's teeth change with age. You may have seen from high-quality photos how some of the new and young sea lions have very white teeth whereas older ones have black teeth.

You might be wondering why sea lion teeth are black when they are born with white teeth?

Well, sea lions are actually born with white teeth, but there is a certain kind of bacteria that lives inside their teeth which makes them darker as time progresses and as they grow older.

This bacterium present inside sea lions showcases the relationship between the bacteria and sea lions, where bacteria get a place to live, and for sea lions, their mouth gets cleaned by bacteria.

However, for the sea lions who spend their time in human captivity, it is important to pay close attention to their teeth and to know the best possible ways to help them to clean them.

The bacteria itself is dark in color, and as time passes, it makes the color of the sea lion’s saliva darker as well.

The presence of this dark pigment eventually turns their teeth black.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for sea lion teeth then why not take a look at beaver teeth or sea lion facts.