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Pinniped Species
-
Antarctic Fur Seal -
Australian Sea Lion -
California Sea Lion -
Galapagos Fur Seal -
Guadalupe Fur Seal -
New Zealand Fur Seal -
New Zealand Sea Lion -
Northern Fur Seal -
South African Fur Seal -
Steller Sea Lion -
Subantarctic Fur Seal
All
x
- – No known individuals remaining.
- – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
- – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- – High risk of extinction in the wild.
- – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
- – Likely to become endangered in the near future.
- – Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a higher risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
- – Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
- – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.
Steller Sea Lion
- – No known individuals remaining.
- – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
- – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- – High risk of extinction in the wild.
- – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
- – Likely to become endangered in the near future.
- – Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a higher risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
- – Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
- – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.
Males – 10-11ft
Females – 7.5-9.5ft
Males – up to 2,500lbs
Females – up to 770lbs
Steller sea lions are found along coasts of the North Pacific Ocean. Steller sea lions are not known to migrate, but will travel far distances to find prey if needed.
Adults have light blonde to reddish brown hair and are slightly darker on the chest and abdomen while pups are dark brown to black. Adult males are noticeably larger than the females and grow a thick mane of coarse hair, which females do not.
Variety of fish: capelin, cod, herring, mackerel, pollock, rockfish, salmon, sand lance, as well as bivalves, squid, octopus and gastropods.
Steller sea lions can be seen in cold sub-arctic waters and haul out on the rocky beaches in rookeries.
Steller sea lions are a colonial breeder which means one bull male breeds with many females. Bulls will become sexually mature between 3-8 years and have to defend their territory, while females generally give birth to their first pup between 4-6 years.
Many safeguards have been put in to place to protect major haul-out areas to protect this species. They are endangered, and the NMFS has implemented a measure to not have fisheries compete with Steller sea lions required need for fish.
Historically they have been hunted for their meat, fur hides, oil and various products in the 1800s. Fisherman used to blame Steller sea lions for stealing their fish and then they would kill them. Now threats include: boat strikes, pollutants, illegal hunting, encounters with fishing equipment and becoming entangled in the gear, as well as habitat degradation.
Steller sea lions are named after George Wilhelm Stellar who was a German naturalist that studied and observed their behavior. Steller sea lions are the largest sea lion, and the fourth largest pinniped in the world.
