also: うみおそ
noun
sea lion
Archaic term for sea lion; modern Japanese uses アシカ. The kanji 獺 normally means 'otter', so 海獺 literally 'sea otter' is a historical name for sea lions.
See also: アシカ
古い文献では、アシカのことを「海獺」と記していることがある。
In old documents, sea lions are sometimes written as 海獺.
Compound of 海 (sea) and 獺 (otter). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term was used in older Japanese to refer to sea lions, possibly due to a perceived resemblance to otters.