What makes a California sea lion different than other sea lions?

The California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) is a coastal sea lion of the northern Pacific Ocean. They are probably the most common pinniped and can adapt to man-made enviroments. Their numbers are abundant and the population continues to expand at a rate of approximately 5.0% annually. They are also quite intelligent and even adult males can be easily trained. Because of this California sea lions are commonly used for entertainment in circuses, zoos and marine parks; and are used by the US Navy for certain military operations. Most of the iconic trained seals of circuses and marine parks are California sea lions. They are highly intelligent and can be trained to do different tricks such as throwing and catching balls on their noses, running up ladders, or honking horns in a musical fashion. Even adult males can be trained. Some groups, such as the Captive Animals Protection Society, object to using sea lions for entertainment, claiming the animals are used as "clowns" in unnatural environments and are simply gimmicks with no educational value. On the other hand, people have claimed that training captive sea lions has allowed them to experience just how intelligent they are. Use in the Navy The California sea lion is used in military applications by the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. These include detecting underwater landmines and equipment recovery. Sea lions can be highly useful as they can reach places inaccessible to human divers. They can dive to 1,000 feet and swim up to 25 miles per hour in short bursts. They can also swim silently in the water. Sea lions have been sent in the Persian Gulf to protect U.S. ships from enemy divers. The animals are trained to swim behind divers approaching a ship and attach a clamp, which is connected to a rope, to the diver's leg. Navy officials say that the sea lions can get the job done in seconds and the enemy doesn’t know the clamp was attached to his leg until it’s too late.