At One Place

California sea lion vs chimpanzee

California sea lion vs chimpanzee
Evenly matched on the numbers
Measured comparison — not a prediction

An eared seal that can walk on all fours on land; the barking animal at most zoos and piers. Along with the bonobo, humanity's closest living relative, sharing about 98.8% of our DNA. The measurements below split evenly, which is rarer than it sounds.

The measurements

California sea lion chimpanzee
Mass 50–400 kg 27–70 kg
Length 1.5–2.5 m —
Height — 1–1.5 m
Top speed 40 km/h —
Lifespan 15–30 yr 30–60 yr

Where each one leads

  • Mass: California sea lion is 5.0× heavier.
  • Lifespan: chimpanzee is 1.8× a longer life.

What this does and does not tell you

These are measured averages with real ranges behind them, and every figure links to its own page. What they cannot do is settle an encounter. Outcomes between animals turn on circumstance — who initiates, whether either is hungry, defending young, injured or cornered, and what the terrain favours. Size and bite force are not decisive on their own, and most of these pairs never meet in the wild in any case, because their ranges do not overlap.

Every figure here is an average with a substantial spread. Individual animals vary enormously — a large individual of the smaller species routinely exceeds a small individual of the larger one.

Common questions

Is a California sea lion bigger than a chimpanzee?
California sea lion is heavier — 50–400 kg against 27–70 kg.
Who would win, a California sea lion or a chimpanzee?
That is not something measurements can settle. The comparison above shows which animal leads on each measure, but an actual encounter depends on circumstance, motivation, health and terrain — and most pairs like this never meet in the wild.

Related pages

Sources

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — NOAA (Public domain (US Government))
  2. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Smithsonian Institution

How these figures are compiled and checked