Least ConcernSouth American Sea Lion
Otaria flavescens
Mammals · Artiodactyla · Pontoporiidae
Pontoporia blainvillei
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
It rivals Hector's dolphin for the title of smallest dolphin in the world and, though it belongs to the river dolphin group, it is the only one of them that lives entirely in coastal sea water.
Weight
23 kg – 50 kg
Size
1.3 m – 1.8 m
Life expectancy
15 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Sources consulted: ResearchGate (male reproductive biology study); Dolphins World; ScienceDirect (Argentina reproductive aspects study); Cambridge Core (age growth study); NOAA Repository (age growth southeastern Brazil study)
Best time: All year round in shallow coastal waters of southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, although it is very unobtrusive and hard to watch.
The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Franciscana — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The franciscana is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 4 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about franciscana.
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