Every spring, sea lions visit Fisherman’s Wharf—a waterfront shopping area in San Francisco, California. The marine animals stop to rest on a dock called Pier 39 as they migrate, or travel to breeding grounds farther down the coast. The barking sea lions are a big tourist attraction . . . especially this past year. That’s because a record-breaking 2,000 of them gathered on the pier to sunbathe! Usually there are only around 150 to 600 of these animals.
Scientists think food, specifically a large school of anchovies, lured a greater number of sea lions to San Francisco Bay. “Sea lions go to Pier 39 for the same reason people do: to relax, hang out, and chow down,” says Adam Ratner of California’s Marine Mammal Center.