Few things delight us like baby sea lions, so when we came across a meme of an adorable duo frolicking in the sand, we stopped our scrolling instantly. Things got even better when we realized that the image had an unexpected deeper meaning that had to do with skin care — yes, really. "Sea lion pups roll in the sand for sun protection," read the caption on the image. Glossier added its own take on the Instagram: "FYI. Wear sunscreen!"
Knowing that we've never looked half as whimsical while slathering on our daily dosage of sunscreen (or rolling around in sand, for that matter), we decided to investigate further. Turns out this is actually a thing sea lions — both pups and adults — do when the weather heats up. BBC even has footage from 2015 of a sea lion named Harley cooling off on a beach. "England has experienced the hottest day of the year, and it's not just people who are trying to keep cool," reads the story. "This sea lion protects his skin from the sun's rays by rolling in sand." To be clear, sand doesn't contain the same properties that your zinc oxide– or avobenzone-packed sunscreen provides. And while packing a thin layer of sand onto their coats might provide a cooling reprieve for these marine mammals, please remember that if you are not a sea lion, you should definitely stick to your classic sunscreen. On the other hand, if all you want is to release your inner sea lion pup by rolling across the beach, go right ahead.
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