On landing at Punta Suarez, we were all astonished to find so many newly-born pups, some of them only a few hours old. Female sea lions give birth to a single pup that is suckled for one to three years. In any one colony, pupping occurs mainly at one time of the year, but this varies by as much as three months from one part of the archipelago to another, being earlier on Fernandina than on Española. It is usually timed to coincide with the cool/dry season, when there is more food available.
Females become receptive or in heat about three weeks after giving birth and it is at this peak time that territories are most severely contested. Mating usually occurs in shallow waters or on land, where the male pins the female down for copulation. The female solicits the attention of the male and, if not satisfied with the male of that colony, she will seek elsewhere. Sea lions, in common with many other pinnipeds, keep their breeding to an annual cycle but only have a nine month gestation period.
