Sea Lion Caves, America largest sea cave and the year-round home of the Seller sea lion, is located on the beautiful rugged coast of the Pacific Coast Highway National Scenic Byway. Formation of the cavern, which soars to the height of a 12-story building and the length of a football field, began about 25 million years ago. It has been a privately owned wildlife preserve for these mammals and an important part of the Oregon/Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve since 1932. The sea lions are not always in the caves, since they come and go as they please, just as they do in nature. As such, the caves are not a zoo. Hundreds of lions are usually found in the caves in winter before they move to the rookery areas, the rock ledges out in front of the caves, when spring arrives. They often remain there through the summer. The Cave system is at sea level, with the ocean continually washing into the main cavern, a room with of about two acres and a vaulted rock dome about 125 feet high. Lichens, algae, and mineral stains paint the cavern walls green, pink, purple, tan, and red, forming on the rough surfaces with such easily distinguishable figures as Lincoln’s Head, the Indian Maiden, and Goddess of Liberty.
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