Sea Lion Island Isla de los Leones Marinos | |
|---|---|
 Imperial shags on outcrop on Sea Lion Island | |
  Sea Lion Island Sea Lion Island shown within the Falkland Islands | |
| Coordinates:52°26′S59°05′W / 52.433°S 59.083°W /-52.433; -59.083 | |
| Country | Falkland Islands |
| Main settlement | Sea Lion Island Settlement |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.05 km2 (3.49 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation (Bull Hill)[1] | 46 m (151 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (FKST) |
| If shown, area and population ranks are for all islands and all inhabited islands in the Falklands respectively. | |
| Designated | 24 September 2001 |
| Reference no. | 1104[2] |
Sea Lion Island (Spanish:Isla de los Leones Marinos) is the largest of the Sea Lion Island Group of theFalkland Islands. It is 9 km2 (3 sq mi) in area.[3][1] and lies 14 km (9 mi; 8 nmi) southeast ofLafonia (East Falkland). It was designated aRamsar site on 24 September 2001,[4] and as an Important Bird Area (BirdLife International 2006). In 2017 the island was designated as a National Nature Reserve.
Sea Lion Island is 7.8 km (4.8 mi) long from east to west and 2.3 km (1.4 mi) wide, with 30 m (98 ft) cliffs at the south-western point and sandy bays to the east.[3] The highest point at 46 m (151 ft) is Bull Hill.[1] East Loafers is the name of the bay on the southern shore. It also has a few ponds, including Beaver and Long Pond. Just to the south is Rum Island,[3] a small seal colony. Other small members of the group are Brandy and Whisky Islands.[3] The geology is mainlysandstone andmudstone, from about 250 million years ago. Some minor fossils have been found.
Sea Lion Island is the southernmost inhabited island of the Falkland Islands. Only formerly inhabitedBeauchene Island is located further south. Sea Lion Island Settlement is the southernmost settlement of the Falkland Islands. The island has anairstrip. Historically, Sea Lion Island was asheep farm. When the British shipViscount was wrecked in 1892, the wreckage was used to build the farmhouse.[1]
The island was managed as a sheep farm for almost all of the 20th century, but in 1997 all but a small flock of sheep was removed.[3] In 1990, the Clifton family who owned the island, sold it to theFalkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC). They had planted 60,000 stands oftussac grass.[5] Since then, ecotourism has been the only economic activity. In 1986 FIDC constructed the Sea Lion Lodge, with accommodation for 20 guests. It was prefabricated and flown in kit form to the island byRoyal Air Force helicopters and has proved to be a success. It is used by tourists and, since 1996, scientific researchers.[1] Since 2017 the Lodge and island has been under the lease of Wild Falkland Ltd.
There is a memorial toHMSSheffield on Bull Hill in the south of the island.
Some 56 species offlowering plants have been recorded, including theFuegian violet which, in the Falklands, is found nowhere else.[3] The island is known for its marine mammals, including breeding colonies ofsouthern sea lions andsouthern elephant seals, for which the other islands in the group arehaul-out sites.[3]Killer whales are seen offshore.[6][7][8] Since 1995[update], the Elephant Seal Research Group (ESRG) has been tracking the habits of elephant seals at Sea Lion Island.[9][10][11]
The Sea Lion Islands Group has been identified byBirdLife International as anImportant Bird Area. It is a significant breeding site for a variety ofseabirds and otherwaterbirds includingFalkland steamer ducks,ruddy-headed geese,gentoo penguins (2800 pairs),southern rockhopper penguins (480 pairs),Magellanic penguins,southern giant-petrels (25 pairs) andsooty shearwaters. It also supports populations ofstriated caracaras (10 pairs),blackish cinclodes,Cobb's wrens andwhite-bridled finches.[3]
[Photo] Near Sea Lion Island in the Falklands, female killer whales in a couple of families have learned to nab an elephant seal pup from a nursery and use it to practice hunting with their offspring before eating it
The Elephant Seal Research Group completed their 9th consecutive field season, with the exciting news that one of the male pups tagged in their first year in 1995, has returned and managed to successfully defend his very first harem this year.(page 103 in PDF collection)
Since 1995, a small team of Italian researchers have been conducting a long-term study of the southern elephant seal population of Sea Lion Island
