Monica Vela, age 8, of Glendale, Ariz., for her question:         

ARE SEA LIONS DIFFERENT FROM SEALS?

The sea lion at the circus is a genuine seal. People call him a sea lion because he has a mane of shaggy hair. Usually, we do not see it because it is plastered down with water. He belongs in the same family as the fur seals of the far north. Other seals have hairy coats and no outside ears. These sea lion relatives include the walrus, the whopping elephant seal and the harbor seal. All of them belong to the seal group, though not all of them have soft furry coats and outside ears.