Meet Omar — Our Very Own Picasso

We’ve met both Franco and Remo in a few of our previous blogs. Franco is a very laid-back animal, while Remo is full of energy. This time we’re going to meet their “little” brother, Omar! He is the smallest of the four South American sea lions living at Coral World, weighing in at an underwhelming 325 pounds. Omar may be small in stature, but he makes up for it with a very large personality. He’s got a lot of spunk and loves exploring his environment. Omar is pretty comfortable no matter what’s going on, and there’s not really anything that fazes him.

Omar loves learning new things, but training him can be tricky. He is not very patient, and will often anticipate what his trainers will ask him before we even ask it! Training sessions turn in to guessing games, as Omar attempts to stay one step ahead of us. However, we’ve been able to use this personality trait to our advantage. Omar is learning a new “do something” behavior. This fun, new behavior allows Omar to choose any behavior he wants! It’s a great way to encourage him to get creative and show us how smart he really is!

Another way for Omar to showcase his creativity is through his painting. He creates unique paintings each and every time he picks up his paint brush. While all of our sea lions paint, Omar is our original Picasso and has been painting for years! You can find some of his originals hanging in the gift shop at the front of the park, but if you want to see Omar in action you’ll have to come and meet him yourself!