This photo of a seal chomping on a sunfish won 6th place in Underwater Photography Guide’s 2015 contest. Photo: Ralph Pace
Upon first glance, the above photo is quite the spectacle. It shows a California Sea Lion feasting on a Sunfish, or a Mola mola. In case you forgot, Sunfish are the ones that made that Boston bro nearly have a stroke. And Sea Lions, well, they’re just super good cuddlers.
Anyway, the photo, which was shot by Ralph Pace in San Diego, won 6th place in the Underwater Photography Guide’s 2015 Ocean Art Contest. About the photo, Ralph said:
“While on the Nine Mile Bank off San Diego, California we watched for 45 minutes as a sunfish (Mola mola), the world’s largest bony fish, tried to evade a hungry California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). Due to the current El Nino regime, much of the sea lion’s usual prey is up north in cooler waters. With limited prey, sea lions have resorted to feeding on anything, even super tough-skinned molas.”
While the photo is spectacular to look at, it is very telling about the grim state of the environment. With rising ocean temperatures, coupled by the Godzilla El Niño, seals and sea lions are becoming nutrient deficient. They’re being forced to feast on food that they normally wouldn’t; like this one seen above feasting on the bony sunfish.
And 2015 was a record-breaking year for dying and near-death seals and sea lions. If things continue going the way they are, 2016 might not be much better.
