QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - The bodies of 15 sea lions have been found in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands with their teeth and sexual organs removed, presumably for sale in Asian black markets as aphrodisiacs, authorities said Wednesday.

The carcasses were discovered Sunday after Galapagos National Park officials received an anonymous tip that some 25 mutilated sea lions had been left on the southern shore of San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the remote Pacific archipelago.

The bodies of four females and 11 males were found, and park rangers were searching for others. All of the animals had fractured skulls and were missing teeth, and the males had had their sexual organs removed, park officials said in a written statement.

``Presumably they were sacrificed to sell their parts in black markets in Japan,'' where the organs are sold as aphrodisiacs, the statement said.

Investigators believe the animals were dumped in the ocean after they were mutilated and washed up on shore.

Hunting is prohibited and fishing is limited in the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles west of the Ecuadorean mainland.

The islands are known for their variety of rare and exotic birds, fish and sea lions. The unique characteristics of the islands' animals were made famous by Charles Darwin, the 19th century naturalist.

The islands' sea lions have no natural predators on land and generally do not fear humans.