As baby sea lions grow in the womb, the special waxy coating on their skin builds up in a pattern that’s almost exactly like how it builds up in human babies—peaking near birth.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (0)

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No supporting evidence found

Contradicting (1)

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Sea Lions Develop Human-like Vernix Caseosa Delivering Branched Fats and Squalene to the GI Tract

Case-Control Study

Animal

2018 May 10

The study found that sea lion babies have a similar waxy coating as human babies, but it didn’t measure whether this coating increases in a specific way as the baby grows, so we can’t say it grows the same way as in humans.

Source Study

Sea Lions Develop Human-like Vernix Caseosa Delivering Branched Fats and Squalene to the GI Tract

Score: 10

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-25871-1

Similar Assertions

Baby sea lions are born with a waxy coating on their skin that they swallow before birth, and this coating has special fats and oils that are also found in human babies—maybe to help their guts grow healthy bacteria.

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Baby sea lions have a lot of a special oil called squalene in their first poop—way more than in their blood—which might help protect their guts from damage or help good bacteria grow.

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