In a photograph that has racked up more than 65,000 upvotes on Reddit, an American web developer by the name of Joshua regaled animal lovers on social media with a closer look at the sight that greeted him upon returning to his accommodation on the island of San Cristóbal.

Eager to head to bed after venturing into town for a few drinks with friends, Joshua found the path back to his room blocked by what he described as “cute but incredibly angry sea lions.”

According to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, sea lions are the “most abundant marine animal” in the region with a population of around 50,000, and they are often spotted sleeping on beaches or swimming close to the shore.

Males are capable of weighing up to four times more than female sea lions and are easily distinguished by the “prominent bump on their forehead.” More significantly dominant males tend to hold territories on areas like beaches and have been known to “aggressively defend” these areas from male rivals and “interlopers.”

The Galapagos Conservancy warns: “Despite their curiosity, sea lions are wild animals and can be unpredictable in their behavior – especially the males – and people will occasionally be bitten for not respecting their space and privacy.”

So Joshua was understandably cautious when encountering such a large number on his doorstep. He explained to Newsweek: “There are sea lions out and about throughout the day but this was the first night I had decided to go out for drinks.

“The town is quite small and this was the main walkway from my room to the bars. After a few hours of enjoying drinks and my first night out in years because of Covid, I came across this scene and was blown away.”

Difficult Decision

Joshua said he was unsure about what to do.

“I was torn between hopscotching between them but the law is not getting within 6ft of any sea lions; The Galápagos are passionate about protecting sea lions and their laws are strict and well enforced,” he said.

After several minutes of thinking over the various potential scenarios, he decided to attempt a “calm but brisk walk through the crowd” of sea lions.

However, within minutes the “big sea lions with a pup” woke up and it was “not happy one bit.” He said the sea lion “screamed,” leaving him with little choice other than to muster some courage and make a “mad dash” to the other side. Fortunately, he pulled off the escape with “no incident.”

Though Joshua is from the U.S., he has been visiting the Galapagos Islands, just off the coast of Ecuador because his brother’s girlfriend has just completed a Ph.D in Biology.

He’s already very enamored with the Islands and their stunning natural wildlife, calling it an “absolute dream in terms of biodiversity.” His post, meanwhile, has sparked a fascinating discussion about sea lions and their capabilities.

JamesTheJerk wrote: “Don’t let them bite you, don’t feed them. You don’t want seal finger” - in reference to an infection of the fingers known to affect seal hunters and handlers which is caused when bites, cuts or scratches become contaminated by the mouths, blood or blubber of seals.

Nevrar, meanwhile, revealed: “They [sea lions] can go faster than humans on land for short distances” with Jdorty confirming they are capable of reaching speeds of “15 mph.”

Elsewhere, SmokedBeef recommended he “start opening black trash bags violently and loudly” towards the seals, claiming he saw it work with “Salmon boats in British Columbia.”

Izguddoggo added a little color to the scene with their comment, writing: “I bet that smells SO bad. Have grown up around sea lions and groups like that are just foul,” while another user, wiiver, couldn’t resist a pun, writing: “Hate it when the path is sealed.”

Fortunately, in this instance Joshua was able to make it through and saw the funny side. He said he’s been blown away by the reaction to the post.

“I’m happy people seem to be getting a kick out of my misfortune but I also saw lots of comments educating others about Sea Lions so that’s an added bonus,” he said.