Sea lion scares her carer with a trick, then laughs at him like a person (video)

Many creatures that should be free in the wild have grown up in human facilities but some of their human friends take great efforts in giving them a good life.

You can tell that this sea lion is having fun. For animal custodians, the health and well-being of the beings they are responsible for is the priority.

These creatures serve entertainment purposes, so their trainers make sure they are healthy and happy before facing an audience.

Fooling around and making friends to share fun and affection with are essential aspects for a captive animal to be in a good mood, which not only results in good shows but in a healthy animal.

A playful sea lion that scared one of his human companions who pretended to be asleep was caught on video and shared on a Brazilian Facebook account, where it went viral.

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The aquatic mammal appears to be very excited for what he and his human accomplice are about to do, and he even acts as if he understands the instructions the man is giving, nodding as he whispers in his ear.

Sea lions are intelligent animals capable of learning routines, understanding indications and having a lot of fun with when showing off the tricks they have learned, very much like dolphins.

IN CAPTIVITY

In the clip, you will see how the sea lion plots with two of his caregivers and how he is going to 'wake up' a third worker who’s lying on the floor to rest.

Before carrying out the joke, the sea animal nods to one of the custodians as if to say that he understood the plan to the smallest detail.

Following this, the naughty creature approaches the man on the floor and makes a loud sound with his mouth.

At that moment, the subject "gets scared," and the sea lion starts to “laugh” at his prank just like a person would, before running away.

This animal proved to have great intelligence and a sense of humor and received hundreds of compliments for its incredible and adorable performance.

Facebook user, Rosario Guarin, commented:

“How beautiful. These animals are very intelligent and, as I always say, whether it’s dogs, cats, sea lions, etcetera, the only thing they can’t do is speaking. Apart from that, they are pretty much like us humans.”

“Beautiful. One can tell that the trainer loves this sea lion. Too bad he has to live in captivity,” wrote Mary Chely Cruz.

IN THE WILD

If watching an animal trained to perform is fascinating enough, imagine how the Argentinean diver who had a close friendly encounter with a group of sea lions in the wild felt.

Julian Bala enjoyed an unforgettable interaction with a pack of overfriendly sea lions, particularly with one of them who was very affectionate, going as far as to kiss him on the lips.

Bala captured footage of the special occasion off the coast of Puerto Madryn, Argentina, an area that is very rich in wildlife, for the entire world to see.

The encounter happened back in 2012, but it was in 2016 when it was shared via Reddit that it became viral, as thousands of netizens fell in love with the loving sea lion and envied Bala for his wonderful luck.

SEA LIONS VS. SEALS

Seals and sea lions are some of the most popular sea animals. Their friendly behavior, intelligence, and adorable aspect make them the stars of the zoo.

They are also frequently depicted in cartoons and as stuffed animals that children love to cuddle.

But while the two species are often mistaken as one and the dame, and the word “seal” is used to denote any of the two, there are a number of easily noticeable differences.

The NPS website (National and State Parks California) has a page dedicated to the difference between these two variants of the zoological order of the Pinnipeds, which are mammals that live partly in the land and partly in the ocean.

The easiest differences to spot are in their heads. Sea lions have larger, pointed noses that make them look more like dogs, while seals have flat noses and round heads.

Sea lions have flaps in their ears, while seals have just ear holes with no flaps. Sea lions have longer necks that they can elevate, while seals mostly lie down. Sea lions have much larger front flippers than seals.

Sea lions move more easily in the land, with their hind flippers helping them “walk” while seals have more limited movement when outside the water. Sea lions' hind flippers are covered with skin, but seals are covered with fur.