WHEN you first think of sea lions you may imagine their crowd-pleasing claps, balancing balls, or tourists taking a dip with them.

But the slippery sea creatures also have quite the dark side – and have a troublesome track record of attacking humans.

The mammals' dangerous reputation is often overshadowed by more formidable beasts lurking in the ocean and their inclusion in circuses and shows – meaning they are easily underestimated.

Their curious nature is often mistaken as friendliness by swimmers, with many forgetting their animal instincts will always reign supreme.

Humans are playing an underwater game of Russian roulette by taking a dip into their environment – no matter how many cute cartoons you may have seen.

Although attacks are rare, coming within 8ft of the beasts can have disastrous consequences.

Their speed, power and unsettling element of surprise make them a terrifying opponent in their underwater territory – and on land.

One sea lion managed to become an overnight sensation by demonstrating such cunning abilities back in May 2017.

The beast dragged a little girl from behind off a Candian dock in British Columbia in front of horrified holidaymakers.

The crowd was lured in by the mesmerising creature and tossed food to it before it briskly grabbed the youngster into the water.

Despite being physically unharmed, her memorable feat with the ferocious mammal gave a glimpse of their erratic aggression.

But animal rights campaigners rushed to the sea lion's defence – reminding people they "are not circus performers and not trained to be next to people."

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In another horrifying incident, a 13-year-old girl was mauled by one of the mammals as she frolicked in the ocean in 2019.

Oblivious Megan Pagnini was knee-deep in the ocean at Pismo Beach, California, while her pals filmed her in front of the sunset.

The extraordinary clip shows the sea lion suddenly springing out of the water and attacking the teen as her friends watched in horror.

It managed to tear a deep chunk out of her leg during the terrifying incident – while changing her opinion of the seemingly cuddly creature.

Megan said at the time: "I thought they were just the most adorable little things. They're just the puppies of the sea.

"And now I think they're really scary. I don't want to get near one or see one ever again."

And she's not the only youngster left terrified by the marine animal.

I thought they were just the most adorable little things. And now I think they're really scary. I don't want to get near one or see one ever again.

In one of the most alarming displays of their unpredictability, a ten-year-old boy celebrating his birthday at a zoo was savaged by a sea lion.

The 20-stone beast sank its teeth into little Ronnie Green’s leg as he enjoyed a swim session with the animal at Jungle Park in Tenerife.

His mum told how they "seemed to be having a great time for the first five minutes" before it "suddenly just turned on him".

This temperamental nature of the mammal has long been a point of contention for animal lovers.

Victims often bare the brunt of the blame for knowingly stepping into a situation with a wild animal – but a sea lion's stealthiness can even prove too much for the most vigilant swimmers.

One of the beasts was captured on film repeatedly knawing at the head of an underwater cameraman.

The relentless assailant is seen biting the top of his skull, seemingly obsessed with the shiny monogram on the top of his diving hood.

The sea lion even attempted to take a chunk out of his recording equipment as the rest of the raft circled around them.

But the diver's cool calm and collected approach paid off – seeing him make off without serious injury.

Not all experienced swimmers are so lucky though – as one tourist was left needing an operation and more than 20 stitches after she was attacked in Australia. 

Elena Precillia was swimming underwater with a raft of sea lions, who she was told were "friendly", when one of them lunged for the bottom of her leg. 

Despite initially relishing in the "amazing experience", the 25-year-old warned the world although they may appear adorable, their impulsive behaviour is not worth taking the risk.

Elena said: "I'll definitely never go back to swim with sea lions and I will never recommend to someone to do it.

"They are still wild animals, and in such close proximity, we never know what can happen."

PROVOKED BY PICTURES?

It seems trying to bag the best selfie is a trigger for sea lions – as a fisherman posing with his catch was pulled overboard by one.

A Brit tourist was savaged by a 700lb sea lion as she waited for a picture with it at a water park in Gran Canaria.

Leah Edgar, 20, wanted a snap with 8ft Rocky giving her a kiss on the cheek, but horrifically got a chunk taken out of her thigh instead.

It clung on for five seconds before releasing the screaming 5ft nursery nurse – leaving her in "agony".

Dan Carlin, 62, was smiling as his wife took a snap in San Diego when the creature leaped out of the water, bit his hand and yanked him into the sea.

"After 15 seconds, I thought I was going to die,” Carlin said.

"I continued to struggle, but thought this is the way I was going to die. It was unbelievable to me."

ANIMAL INSTINCTS

The experienced surfer, scuba diver and fisherman said he even lost his vision during the tussle, but eventually managed to get back onto his boat.

Even experts and allies to sea lions aren't off-limits for the mammals.

In a spectacular video shared by the Ocean Conservation Namibia last year, a seal rescuer was savagely bitten by a sea lion while trying to free it from a fishing line.

Antoine Amory ran amongst the pack of the creatures heading to the sea, desperate to unbind them from the loop.

But his good deed did not go unpunished – as after grabbing one of the huge animals to help it, it ferociously bit into his arm.

The unbelievable footage shows the brave rescuer battle through the agonising pain to free the animal.

But the conservation team admitted it is a sea lion's natural reflex to defend themselves as they see humans as "a threat".

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Although the pain of the bite may be the biggest fear, the more sinister risk comes from the sea lion's mouth itself.

Their mouths are crammed with numerous kinds of bacteria that can cause deadly infections in humans, so seeking medical advice is essential – even if it was just a little nibble.

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