Percevero, a sea lion yearling, was rescued from a busy road in San Francisco.

A starving sea lion pup was found more than 1,000 feet from the ocean on Skyline Boulevard in San Francisco Wednesday. He was rescued by National Park Ranger Matt Wallat, who was on his way to work at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area when he saw two motorists protecting the pup on the side of the busy road. Wallat brought the yearling to the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, where he named him “Percevero,” a Latin name meaning perseverance. Percevero is one of dozens of sea lion pups who are washing up along the California coast this year. “These pups come in very underweight, and malnourished,” said center spokeswoman Yvette Koth. “Just in the last 10 days, we’ve gotten 100 pups in. Normally during this time of year, we shouldn’t see any sea lion pups at all because they should be nursing in the Channel Islands.” The reason for the strandings is unknown, but researchers think mother sea lions might be going further to find fish to feed on, abandoning their pups for longer periods. — Read it at SFGate