Editing California sea lion (section)

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Zalophus californianus J. Smit.jpg|thumb|left|Lithography by [[Joseph Smit]].]]
The California sea lion was [[Species description|described]] by [[René Primevère Lesson]], a French naturalist, in 1828. It is grouped with other sea lions and [[fur seal]]s in the family [[Otariidae]]. Otariids, also known as eared seals, differ from [[true seals]] in having external ear flaps, and proportionately larger foreflippers and pectoral muscles. Along with the [[Galapagos sea lion]] and the extinct [[Japanese sea lion]], the California sea lion belongs to the genus ''[[Zalophus]]'', which derives from the Greek words ''za'', meaning "intensive", and ''lophus,'' meaning "crest".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Sarah G. |last2=Mortenson |first2=Joe |last3=Webb |first3=Sophie |year=2011 |title=Field Guide to Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast: Baja, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |page=403 |isbn=978-0520265455}}</ref> This refers to the protruding [[sagittal crest]] of the males, which distinguishes members of the genus.<ref name=Perrin>{{cite book |last1=Heath |first1=Carolyn B. |last2=Perrin |first2=William F. |year=2008 |contribution=California, Galapagos and Japanese Sea Lions ''Zalophus californianus'', ''Z. wollebaeki'' and ''Z. japonicus'' |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediamari00perr/page/n204 170]–75 |title=Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals |publisher=Elsevier Science |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediamari00perr |url-access=limited |editor1-last=Perrin |editor1-first=William F. |editor2-last=Würsig |editor2-first=Bernd |editor3-last=Thewissen |editor3-first=J.G.M. |edition=2nd |isbn=978-0123735539}}</ref>

Traditionally, the Galapagos sea lion and Japanese sea lion were classified as [[subspecies]] of the California sea lion. However, a genetic study in 2007 found that all three are in fact separate species.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wolf |first1=Jochen B.W. |last2=Tautz |first2=Diethard |last3=Trillmich |first3=Fritz |year=2007 |title= Galápagos and Californian sea lions are separate species: Genetic analysis of the genus ''Zalophus'' and its implications for conservation management |journal=[[Frontiers in Zoology]] |volume=4 |page=20 |doi=10.1186/1742-9994-4-20 |pmid=17868473 |pmc=2072946 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The [[Lineage (evolution)|lineages]] of the California and Japanese sea lion appear to have [[Genetic divergence|split off]] 2.2 million years ago during the [[Pliocene]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sakahira |first1=F. |last2=Niimi |first2=M. |year=2007 |title=Ancient DNA analysis of the Japanese sea lion (''Zalophus californianus japonicus'' Peters, 1866): preliminary results using mitochondrial control-region sequences |journal=[[Zoological Science]] |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=81–85 |pmid=17409720 |doi=10.2108/zsj.24.81|s2cid=10824601 }}</ref> The California sea lion differs from the Galapagos sea lion in its greater [[sexual dimorphism]].<ref name=Perrin/> The [[Steller sea lion]] is the closest extant relative of the ''Zalophus'' sea lions, being a [[sister taxon]].<ref name=populations/>