After 20 years in one spot, anyone can get restless. That goes for the famous sea lions of San Francisco's Pier 39. They swelled to their largest population ever just a couple months ago and then almost totally disappeared this month, baffling local marine experts.
The animals have been a fixture on Pier 39 since 1990, when a big herring run lured the sea lions into San Francisco Bay. The Marine Mammal Center gets so many questions about the 1,000-pound creatures that the nonprofit staffs a small kiosk on Pier 39; the pier's insignia includes the silhouette of a sea lion [San Francisco Chronicle]
. In October more than 1,700 sea lions laid about on Fisherman's Wharf. But the exodus began the day after Thanksgiving, and by yesterday only 10 remained hanging out near the docks. Jeff Boehm of the Marine Mammal Center said the sea lions probably left in ...
