Arguably Australia’s hairiest senior has tried getting her flippers on a Queensland Seniors Card to celebrate Seniors Week with the rest of us.
Portia is oldest known Australian sea lion, calling SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast home. While Portia may seem like a spring chicken at just 28 years old, she’s outlived the average life expectancy of sea lions in the wild by more than 16 years.
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In her application for a Queensland Seniors Card, Portia lists her favourite pastime as tug-of-war and her star sign is fittingly Scorpio – a water sign.
It’s all a bit of fun to raise awareness for conservation efforts of the team at SEA LIFE, and the part the oldest Australian sea lion has played.
Humans have played a large role in the decline of the Australian sea lion population, with less than 10,000 of the mammals left in the world. One of the reasons for their decline was in part due to the fact they were hunted for their blubber, meat and skin in the 18th and 19th centuries.
While Portia’s beady little eyes may enchant some, sea lions have a fiesty spirit when it comes to their food and mating. Males are known to be aggressive towards one another, especially when there’s a lady involved.
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Sea lions’ teeth allow them to tear large prey into bite-sized chunks and their back teeth are so strong they can even crack through shells.
But don’t let that put you off. They are very social creatures who love to communicate with each other. They form large colonies and even have their own cliques within a larger group.
See Portia’s full application form below.