13 Year Old Girl Attacked by Sea Lion

Coming soon to a theatre near you. They're mighty creatures of the sea and they attack from beneath the waves. Are they sharks? No. Killer whales? Nah.

The sea beast on the attack this time around is one you might not expect. A sea lion.

Ella Murphy, a 13 year old girl in Lancelin, Australia incurred quite the surprise as she surfed behind a speedboat off the west coast of Australia on Friday. As the girl surfed along the water, a sea lion jumped from the waves and attacked the unsuspecting girl.

The attack, as it's being called, has marine biologists puzzled as such an act by a sea lion is practically unheard of. While some officials suspect that the sea lion was simply intrigued by the girl and wanting to "play," the event seemed like anything but play for Murphy. The attack earned Murphy a broken jaw and caused her to lose three teeth. A family friend, Chris Thomas told The Sunday Times that the sea lion simply "exploded in a full-on frontal attack." Thomas described the sea lion as having "jumped out of the water at her and (hitting) her head on."

Seas lions can be territorial on land, attacking when provoked by humans, but usually only then. The animal has the ability to grow to be over 880 pounds and, while sea lions native to the northern Pacific are considered to be endangered species, Australian sea lions, like their California counterparts, are flourishing in number and speculated to number around 12,000. Sea lions diets consist of fish, squid and other sea creatures. Humans, however, are not considered a delicacy of the sea lion.

Sydney Aquarium's Grant Willis told reporters that he believed that the sea lion might have mistaken Ella for a playmate and treated her as one would treat a ragdoll.

However, Thomas sees the attack differently. "She popped up, and its head popped up out of the water about 10m away. It was looking for her." He explained.

Ella's injuries required surgery, but she now remains in stable condition according to The Sunday Times. No word on if the sea lion will seek counseling.