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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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (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

Scientists found that sea lion babies, like human babies, have a special waxy coating that ends up in their tummies and helps grow good gut bacteria—this means the same thing happens in both species, even though one lives on land and one in the ocean.

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No contradicting evidence found

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

The special fats in baby sea lion vernix come from their skin—not from their mom’s milk—just like in human babies, which means this isn’t something they eat, but something their body makes.

80%

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.

77%

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.

70%