London, July 22 : A 19-year-old male sea lion from California has mated himself to death at an animal park in Germany.

The lion, called Mike, died of exhaustion after a series of marathon lovemaking sessions with his female counterparts in Nuremberg.

Mike was the father of 12 offspring through three different females – Farah, Tiffy and Soda, reports The Telegraph.

He showed signs of tiredness at around midday on Monday, the southern city said in a statement.

The statement said: "Mike could no longer get out of the pool and was brought ashore by staff. The extremely weakened animal was treated by a vet but died from acute heart failure around 3.30pm (1330 GMT).”

"Mating season is a common time for fatalities when bulls often stop eating for days to devote themselves fully to mating. For sea lion bulls with a harem this is the most exhausting time," it added.

Mike''s offspring can be found in zoos as far afield as Berlin, Spain and the Netherlands, and that the 285-kilo animal was so "good natured" that people could touch him, the statement added.

"He will be remembered fondly by visitors of the animal park for his appearances during shows in the dolphinarium where he had close contact with the dolphins," it said. (ANI)