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Duke the Sea Lion
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©WCS/J.Maher
| California sea lion Duke, a rising star at the Aquarium’s Aquatheater, loves to show off for a crowd. During training demonstrations, you might see Duke doing an acrobatic backbend, dive-bombing in the pool, barking on cue, or shimmying to music.
When Duke arrived at the Aquarium in 2005, keepers knew instantly that his enthusiastic nature would make him a great personality. Though his training began slowly, with keepers teaching him basics like how to focus and stay in place, it soon became clear that Duke thrived on learning new behaviors. By summer 2006, this natural star had earned a solo role in a portion of the demonstration designed just for him! Today he is wowing audiences three times a week in the company of seasoned sea lion Otis and Osborne, and their trainers, Martha and Guenter.
Duke also serves as an ambassador for his species, teaching Aquatheater guests about his wild habitat and the sea lion’s role in the web of life. Visitors learn about some of the sea lions’ favorite foods—like herring and squid—and how sea lions themselves are the favorite foods of some of the ocean’s top predators, like white sharks. This food chain is essential to a healthy ocean. Duke and his keepers also demonstrate how visitors can impact this food chain, and how making smart seafood choices helps protect the ocean’s wildlife.
Making a Comeback in the Wild
In the past, sea lions were hunted commercially for their skin and oil. This trade wiped out some California sea lion populations. But in the last few decades, sea lions have benefited from a conservation success. Since the species’ 1972 listing under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the population has quadrupled to an estimated 300,000.
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