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El Paso Zoo Mourns Death Of Sea Lion

Cocoa, one of The El Paso Zoo’s four sea lions died during the night, the zoo announced Monday afternoon.

“Today the El Paso Zoo has lost a valuable and beloved member of our family,” Zoo Director Steve Marshall said in a news release.

Cocoa, 24, was born at Six Flags Marine World California and was the twin sister of Cleo, one of the other sea lions at the El Paso Zoo. The pair joined Sushi to be Sunny’s companions in March of 2004.

Cocoa had chronic health problems related to old age including cataracts and arthritis in her back. Four weeks ago her zoo keepers reported that Cocoa had not been eating well. Along with veterinarian and keeper staff she received the best possible care and treatment over the next weeks and had recently received a complete physical exam, but staff had been unable to determine why she hadn’t been eating.

Billie York, the Senior Zoo Keeper of the zoo area managing the sea lions, stated that ‘Cocoa was the sweetest, the smallest and the most unique of the Zoo’s sea lions, and she fought through her physical hardships with great strength’.

California sea lions are thought to live 15-25 years.

Cocoa Bio

Cocoa was the twin sister of Cleo and was the smallest of three females living with Sunny, the only male sea lion. She was born on May 16, 1986 and she and Cleo lived with ten other sea lions and ten harbor seals at Six Flags Marine World California. Cocoa was Sunny’s favorite companion and the two were often seen swimming together.

California Sea Lion Facts Scientific Name: Zalophus californianus Status: Common Distribution: Pacific coast of Canada south to Baja California, Mexico.

Habitat: Pacific Ocean.

Diet: Fish, squid, octopi, crabs, clams, and lobsters.

Length: Males (called bulls) can reach up to 8 feet (2.5 m) long. Females are up to 6.5 feet (2 m) long.

Weight: Males 441-662 lbs / Females 110-221 lbs.

Reproduction: Every spring, sea lions gather on islands in southern California and Baja California in Mexico. After the pups are born in June and July, adult males leave the females and pups and begin moving to their wintering grounds in the Pacific Northwest.

Behavior: Sea lions have special adaptations for swimming underwater, including flexible bodies and flippers. They can dive to depths of 820 feet. The record for a human diver without special equipment (free diving) is 400 feet. They can stay underwater without breathing for almost three quarters of an hour compared to a record 14 minutes for a human. Sea lions are fast swimmers and can go up to 25 mph (40 kph). They are also very fast on land. “Walking” with all four flippers, a sea lion can go faster over a rough beach than a running man.

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