Steller Sea Lion

Basic Information

Other names

Northern Sea Lion

Order

Carnivora

Family

Otariidae

Size

Steller Sea Lions are generally between 7.5 and 9.5 feet in length.

Lifespan

up to 30 years

Weight

Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) facts, habitat, diet, range, sea lion pictures and more to help you learn to identify the large marine mammal.

Diet

Carnivore

Breeding

Male Steller Sea Lions are polygynous. Dominant males are generally the only ones who mate, however that does not stop young males from sneaking onto rookeries in search of a female companion.

Range

Pacific Coast -Alaska

Number of Offspring

1 pup

Observation Tips

Kenai Fjords National Park offers a great chance to observe Steller Sea Lions in the wild.

What does the Steller Sea Lion look like?

Steller Sea Lions have a lighter coloration than other sea lions. They range from a light yellow to tawny red, however pups are nearly black when born. Both sexes grow quickly until sexual maturity is reached. Males are larger than females and have broader chests, necks and foreheads. They also have flatter snouts and darker tufted hairs on their necks.

Steller Sea Lion Habitat

Shorelines

Steller Sea Lion Facts

Steller Sea Lions are the largest sea lions in the world and the only member of the genus "Eumetopias." They are agile swimmers and can stay under water for up to two minutes and dive as deep at 1,300 feet, they not as graceful on land. They feed on a wide variety of fish and have few natural predators with the exception of Killer Whales and other shark species. Recently, numbers of Steller Sea Lions have fallen dramatically in their Alaskan Range. While the exact reason is not known, scientists strongly suspect is it related to overfishing of Pollock and Herring along the Alaska coast.