Editing Sea lion (section)

==Taxonomy==
[[Image:Alaska 2007 056.jpg|thumb|[[Steller sea lion]]s [[hauling-out|haul out]] on a rock off the coast of [[Raspberry Island (Alaska)]].]]
Sea lions are related to walruses and seals. Together with the [[fur seal]]s, they constitute the family [[Otariidae]], collectively known as eared seals. Until recently, sea lions were grouped under a single subfamily called Otariinae, whereas fur seals were grouped in the subfamily Arcocephalinae. This division was based on the most prominent common feature shared by the fur seals and absent in the sea lions, namely the dense underfur characteristic of the former. Recent genetic evidence, suggests ''Callorhinus'', the genus of the [[northern fur seal]], is more closely related to some sea lion species than to the other fur seal genus, ''Arctocephalus''.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Wynen | first1 = L.P. | year = 2001 | title = Phylogenetic relationships within the eared seals (Otariidae: Carnivora): implications for the historical biogeography of the family | doi = 10.1006/mpev.2001.1012 | journal = Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. | volume = 21 | issue = 2| pages = 270–284 | pmid=11697921 | last2 = Goldsworthy | first2 = SD | last3 = Insley | first3 = SJ | last4 = Adams | first4 = M | last5 = Bickham | first5 = JW | last6 = Francis | first6 = J | last7 = Gallo | first7 = JP | last8 = Hoelzel | first8 = AR | last9 = Majluf | first9 = P| last10 = White | first10 = Robert W.G. | last11 = Slade | first11 = Rob | bibcode = 2001MolPE..21..270W | display-authors = 8 }}</ref> Therefore, the fur seal/sea lion subfamily distinction has been eliminated from many taxonomies.

Nonetheless, all fur seals have certain features in common: the fur, generally smaller sizes, farther and longer foraging trips, smaller and more abundant prey items, and greater [[sexual dimorphism]]. All sea lions have certain features in common, in particular their coarse, short fur, greater bulk, and larger prey than fur seals. For these reasons, the distinction remains useful. The family Otariidae (Order Carnivora) contains the 15 extant species of fur seals and sea lions. Traditional classification of the family into the subfamilies Arctocephalinae (fur seals) and Otariinae (sea lions) is not supported, with the fur seal ''Callorhinus ursinus'' having a basal relationship relative to the rest of the family.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title = Phylogenetic Relationships within the Eared Seals (Otariidae: Carnivora): Implications for the Historical Biogeography of the Family|journal = Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|date = 1 November 2001|pages = 270–284|volume = 21|issue = 2|doi = 10.1006/mpev.2001.1012|first1 = Louise P.|last1 = Wynen|first2 = Simon D.|last2 = Goldsworthy|first3 = Stephen J.|last3 = Insley|first4 = Mark|last4 = Adams|first5 = John W.|last5 = Bickham|first6 = John|last6 = Francis|first7 = Juan Pablo|last7 = Gallo|first8 = A. Rus|last8 = Hoelzel|first9 = Patricia|last9 = Majluf|pmid=11697921| bibcode=2001MolPE..21..270W }}</ref> This is consistent with the fossil record which suggests that this genus diverged from the line leading to the remaining fur seals and sea lions about 6 million years ago (mya). Similar genetic divergences between the sea lion clades as well as between the major Arctocephalus fur seal clades, suggest that these groups underwent periods of rapid radiation at about the time they diverged from each other. The phylogenetic relationships within the family and the genetic distances among some taxa highlight inconsistencies in the current taxonomic classification of the family.<ref name=":0" />

''Arctocephalus'' is characterized by ancestral character states such as dense underfur and the presence of double rooted cheek teeth and is thus thought to represent the most "primitive" line. It was from this basal line that both the sea lions and the remaining fur seal genus, ''Callorhinus'', are thought to have diverged. The fossil record from the western coast of North America presents evidence for the divergence of ''Callorhinus'' about 6 mya, whereas fossils in both California and Japan suggest that sea lions did not diverge until years later.<ref name=":0" />

* '''''Suborder [[Caniformia]]'''''
** '''Family Otariidae'''
***'''Subfamily''' [[Arctocephalinae]]
**** Genus ''[[Arctocephalus]]'' (southern fur seal; eight species)
**** Genus ''[[Callorhinus]]'' (northern fur seal; one species)
*** '''Subfamily''' [[Otariinae]]
**** Genus ''Eumetopias''
***** [[Steller's sea lion]], ''E. jubatus''
**** Genus ''Neophoca''
***** [[Australian sea lion]], ''N. cinerea''
**** Genus ''Otaria''
***** [[South American sea lion]], ''O. flavescens''
**** Genus ''Phocarctos''
***** [[New Zealand sea lion]] or Hooker's sea lion, ''P. hookeri''
**** Genus ''Zalophus''
***** [[California sea lion]], ''Z. californianus''
***** [[Japanese sea lion]], ''Z. japonicus'' – [[extinct]] (1950s)
***** [[Galapagos sea lion]], ''Z. wollebaeki''
** Family [[Phocidae]]: true seals
** Family [[Odobenidae]]: walrus