The Australian sea lion (ASL, Neophoca cinerea) is Australia’s only endemic pinniped and among the rarest sea lions globally. Its unique 18-month breeding cycle means successive cohorts of pups are born in alternating seasons across years, requiring them to adapt to both hot and cold conditions. Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme conditions, such as heatwaves, present a growing mortality risk for pups, particularly where natural shelter is limited. This project evaluates the use of artificial shelters to reduce thermal stress in ASL pups. We designed and deployed multiple shelter types across breeding colonies, assessing performance through an integrated monitoring approach. Shelter use is being quantified using remote cameras, while thermal conditions are measured with temperature loggers throughout shelters, and across colony microhabitats. Real-time weather stations have also been installed at five colonies, complemented by temperature–humidity loggers at a further ten.
This work aims to quantify the effectiveness of artificial shelters in mitigating thermal stress, improve understanding of microclimate variability, and inform adaptive management strategies. Enhancing pup survival under extreme temperatures will support broader efforts to build resilience in this species to compounding threats, including climate change, disease incursions (including H5N1 strains of avian influenza) and harmful algal blooms.