Steller Sea Lion

scientific name

Eumetopias jubatus

size

Weight. males up to 2,500 lbs. " females up to 770 lbs.
Length. males 10 - 12 feet (may be larger than a bear) " females 9 feet

characteristics

Color: bulls buff above, reddish brown below, with dark brown flippers, necks and forequarters - cows uniformly brown
Body: bulls massive necks and forequarers - cows 1/3 size of males, cylindrical in shape

behavior

spend much time on rocky shores, but stay in water during bad weather " will dive when approached/feel hreatened " occasionally swim up rivers " feed at night 10 - 15 miles from shore

reproduction/life span

Life span. ~20 yrs.
Mate. males maintain harems
Breeding season: May - June (in Oregon) " females breed shortly after giving birth
Gestation. ~9 mos.; implantation may be delayed.
Offspring: 1 pup ~50 lbs. and 45" at birth " born dark brown, shed at 4 - 6 months to a lighter brown.
Birth Interval: ~1 - 2 yrs. females may nurse previous years pup
Lcatation: 8 - 11 mos.
Sexual Maturity: females 4 - 5 yrs. " males 5 -7 yrs. (but 7 - 9 yrs. until socially mature and able to defend a territory.

diet

Carnivore
Wild. fish (pollock, flounder, Pacific cod, salmon, rockfish, sculpins) and invertebrates (octopus and squid)
Zoo. herring capelin, smelt, mackerel and squid.

habitat/range

Rocky shores and coastal waters " northwestern California coast northward into the Bering Sea to Bering Straits, in the Okhotsk Sea and along the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, in the Kurlie and Commander islands, and south as far as Hokkaido and notthern Honshu in Japan.

status

USFWS Endangered in eastern Alaska and Washington, Oregon and California - Threatened in Western Alaska " The number of sea lions has declined over 60% between 1965 and 1994 " Current estimates are ~67,000 in US waters.