Curious Young Sea Lion

Young California Sea lion. At the sage it is impossible to say if it is male or female. It is not until they are mature that some, usually one dominate male , all start to develop a domed forehead and will take charge of a group of less dominant sea lions . Up until that time they are totally monomorphic and it is impossible to visually determine whether they are male or female. At a young age they are very playful and spend many hours playing amongst them selves often using pieces of flotsam or unsuspecting starfish as play things.