Watch a Sea Lion Jump Onto the Back of Speeding Boat Looking for Fresh Caught Fish

Key Points

• Pancho is a famous sea lion that is popular for hopping onto boats in Cabo in hopes of a tasty treat.
• Pancho is the alpha male of his pack, leading him to eat quite a bit.
• Sea lions are capable of reaching top speeds of 30 miles per hour which is how Pancho can easily catch up with the boat.

A sea lion on the hunt to feast and flee caught a ride on a vessel some vacationers were on in Cabo, Mexico. The hungry sea lion surprised the tourists. You can see the amiable sea lion jump on the boat in hopes of a fresh serving of seafood. 

Say Hello to Pancho in the Video Below!

Pancho is a famous sea lion that is popular for hopping onto boats in Cabo in hopes of a tasty treat. There appears to be a tour guide on the boat in the video you’ll find below that introduces the massive animal to the people on board. 

The tour guide has a fish in his hand, dangling it in front of the friendly sea lion. He is the alpha male of his pack, leading him to eat quite a bit. One comment on the video says, “The speed and power to catch up and jump into a moving boat is insanely impressive.”

Sea lions use their front flippers to help them navigate through the water. While building speed, sea lions move their lower body back and forth while using their back flippers. How quickly can sea lions swim? Sea lions are capable of reaching top speeds of 30 miles per hour! 

No wonder Pancho can catch up with a boat. Especially when he’s motivated by an easy lunch! Many species of sea lions have extremely quick swimming speeds in the water, but they are also capable of running at a maximum rate of 15 miles per hour on land! 

What Do Sea Lions Eat?

Being carnivores, these sea lions devour seafood such as squid, fish, crabs, and clams. The Steller sea lions consume seals as well. Most meals are just consumed whole. In order for the fish or squid to go down easy and headfirst through the mouth, sea lions frequently fling the prey up and about. 

Prior to eating anything with a hard shell, they smash it with their flat back teeth. 

Family Life of Sea Lions

Throughout the springtime, the males, known as bulls, typically emerge from the water first to establish their claims to territory on ice, boulders, or the shoreline.  The bulls gorge themselves on additional food during this breeding season to develop an exceptionally thick coating of fat, enabling the animal to go for extended periods of time without eating while protecting his territory and ladies. 

Bulls constantly and aggressively bark to claim or protect their territories throughout the breeding season. Bulls may also glare, shake their heads, or charge an adversary. Take a look at the video below to see just how docile, polite, and impressive Pancho is when visiting a passing boat. 

Is it Normal for Sea Lions to Jump into Boats?

Sea lions are not typically dangerous, in fact, they are quite often very playful and may do things without thinking about the consequences. However, there are numerous, very normal reasons for why they jump into boats, food, life, and rest. For food, quite often, as evidenced in the video below, sea lions know they may be given tasty treats and will return to that same source. More important than food is life and in the ocean, a sea lion is a great snack for the killer whale.

The sea lion has evaded death many times by jumping onto boats, using these vessels as an aid in avoiding the apex predator. Of course, even the speedy sea lion needs to rest and there have been instances of these pinnipeds leaping into boats simply to take a short nap before they resume their journey.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Danita Delimont/Shutterstock.com

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