Sea Lion Mini Unit

Our Sea Lion Mini Unit is an exciting dive into the world of pinnipeds, focusing on the agile and social sea lion! We've packed this unit with engaging content and activities to help you understand what makes these marine mammals so special.
 
What you'll discover in this unit:
Pinniped Overview: Learn that sea lions are part of a group of aquatic, fin-footed mammals called pinnipeds, which also include seals and walruses. You'll understand the key differences, such as sea lions having visible external ear flaps (unlike true seals and walruses) and their ability to rotate their rear flippers forward, allowing them to "walk" and even run on land.
Sea Lion Characteristics: Explore fun facts about sea lions, including their impressive size (up to 8 feet long and 880 pounds, with the largest recorded at 11 feet and 2500 pounds). Discover that they are very social, forming large colonies and communicating with loud barks. Their streamlined, torpedo-shaped bodies allow them to swim at bursts of up to 25 miles per hour, using their front flippers for propulsion and back flippers for steering. They can dive up to 900 feet and use sensitive facial whiskers to detect underwater vibrations.
Anatomy: Learn about sea lion anatomy, including their excellent vision both in and out of water, visible ear flaps, large paddle-shaped front flippers, rotating rear flippers, streamlined body, relatively long neck, and sensitive whiskers.
Habitats: Understand that sea lions are generally found in large colonies on land and in coastal ocean areas worldwide, except the North Atlantic. They prefer sandy shores, rocky outcrops, and marinas.
Blubber's Importance: Explore the vital role of blubber as a thick, warm jacket, an energy bank for long hunts or migrations, and a source of buoyancy for efficient swimming.
What Sea Lions Eat: Discover their diet, which includes fresh fish, squid, and crustaceans like crab and shrimp, as well as mollusks like clams and mussels for certain species.
Interactive Learning & Activities:
Note-Taking & Journaling: Use our guided note-taking pages and free note sheets to record information on sea lions. Engage in nature journaling by drawing what you've learned, such as a sea lion diving, basking, walking, or showing its whiskers and ear flaps.
Scientific Classification: Dive into the scientific classification of animals and pinnipeds, learning about Carl Linnaeus and his taxonomy system. The unit provides detailed classification for sea lions.
Pinniped Comparison: Compare and contrast sea lions with true seals and walruses using a Venn diagram activity.
Anatomy Labeling: Use our anatomy poster and cut-and-paste activity to label the parts of a sea lion.
Reader's Theater: Participate in a "Pinniped Reader's Theater" featuring Sir David Attenborough, where you can act out a nature documentary segment on pinnipeds, seals, sea lions, and walruses.
Habitat Mapping: Color and name the oceans where sea lions are found, or cut and paste sea lion images onto a map.
Blubber Blanket Challenge: Simulate the features of a sea lion's body with a "blubber blanket" and "flipper mitts" and complete challenges like a living room circuit, beach ball pass, and straight-line race.
Dietary Activities: Cut, paste, and label images of what sea lions eat onto "plates".
Creative Crafts & Recipes: Make a paper plate sea lion craft and enjoy a sea lion ice cream sundae recipe.
 
*This is a digital product. No physical item will be sent