Editing California sea lion (section)

===Range and habitat===
[[File:Santa-Barbara-Island-Sea-Lion-Rookery.jpg|thumb|left|California sea lion rookery on Santa Barbara island]]
The California sea lion ranges along the western coast and islands of [[North America]], from [[southeast Alaska]] to central [[Mexico]]. [[Mitochondrial DNA]] sequences in 2009 have identified five distinct California sea lion populations: the U.S. or Pacific Temperate stock, the Western [[Baja California Peninsula|Baja California]] or Pacific Tropical stock, and the Southern, Central, and Northern [[Gulf of California]] stocks.<ref name=populations>{{cite journal |last1=Schramm |first1=Yolanda |last2=Mesnick |first2=S. L. |last3=de la Rosa |first3=J. |last4=Palacios |first4=D. M. |last5=Lowry |first5=M. S. |last6=Aurioles-Gamboa |first6=D. |last7=Snell |first7=H. M. |last8=Escorza-Treviño |first8=S. |year=2009 |title=Phylogeography of California and Galápagos sea lions and population structure within the California sea lion |journal=Marine Biology |volume=156 |issue=7 |pages=1375–1387 |doi=10.1007/s00227-009-1178-1 |bibcode=2009MarBi.156.1375S |s2cid=86062338 |issn=0025-3162 |url=http://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Programs/Coastal_Marine_Mammal/Zc%20Gentics_Schramm%20et%20al.pdf}}</ref> The U.S. stock breeds mainly in the [[Channel Islands of California|Channel Islands]], although some breeding sites may be established in [[northern California]], and females are now commonly found there.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> The Western Baja California stock mainly breeds near [[Punta Eugenia]] and at [[Isla Santa Margarita]]. The above-mentioned stocks are separated by the Ensenada Front. The stocks of the Gulf of California live in the shallow waters of the north (Northern stock), the [[tidal island]]s near the center (Central stock), and the mouth of the bay (Southern stock). The stock status of the California sea lions at the deep waters of the central bay has not been analyzed.<ref name=populations/>

Vagrants can reach the north-western Pacific such as on the [[Commander Islands]].<ref>Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve. [http://komandorsky.ru/zalophus-californianus-lesson.html California sea lion Zalophus californianus Lesson, 1828]. Retrieved on August 24, 2017</ref> Although several otariinae have been recorded around the Japanese archipelago in recent years, their exact origins are unclear.<ref>[http://svrsh1.kahaku.go.jp/marmam/?p=4354 鹿児島県薩摩川内市で種不明アシカ出現] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20160602094922/http://svrsh1.kahaku.go.jp/marmam/?p=4354 |date=2016-06-02 }}- 海棲哺乳類情報データベース</ref>

[[File:Zalophus californianus2.jpg|thumb|right|California sea lions in [[Santa Cruz, California|Santa Cruz]], California]]
During the breeding season, California sea lions gather on both sandy and rocky shores. On warm days, they lie closer to the water. At night or in cool weather, they travel farther inland or to higher elevations.<ref name=Audubon/> Non-breeding individuals may gather at [[marina]]s, [[Wharf|wharves]], or even navigational [[buoy]]s. California sea lions can also live in [[fresh water]] for periods of time, such as near [[Bonneville Dam]], nearly {{convert|150|mi|}} up the [[Columbia River]].<ref name=WDFW>{{cite web |title=Columbia River Sea Lion Management: Restoring balance between predators and salmon |publisher=Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife |url=http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/sealions/ |access-date=23 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171021212903/http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/sealions/ |archive-date=21 October 2017 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 2004, a healthy California sea lion was found sitting on a road in [[Merced County]], California, almost a hundred miles upstream from the [[San Francisco Bay]] and half a mile from the [[San Joaquin River]].<ref name=Merced>{{cite news |last=Kay |first=Jane |title=When good fishing trips go bad: Sea lion swims the Delta – lands on Merced County farm road |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=10 February 2012 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/When-good-fishing-trips-go-bad-Sea-lion-swims-2798458.php |access-date=3 July 2012}}</ref>