Steller Sea Lion
scientific name
Eumetopias jubatus
size
One of
the largest of the pinniped family, male Steller sea lions can weigh
up to 3,000 pounds, and females up to 770 pounds. Males are 10 to
12 feet long (they can be larger than a bear) and females average
around 9 feet in length. Females are usually about one-third the
size of males.
characteristics
The coloration
of male and female sea lions tends to differ. Males are brown above,
reddish brown below, with dark brown flippers, necks and forequarters.
Females are uniformly brown. Sea lions are mostly cylindrical in
shape and males have massive necks and forequarters.
behavior
Steller
sea lions spend much of their time on rocky shores, but will stay
in water during bad weather and may dive when they are approached
or feel threatened. They are opportunistic feeders and hunt10 to
15 miles from shore. Sea lions have also been known to occasionally
swim up rivers, even working their way up fish ladders at the Bonneville
Dam.
reproduction/life
span
Males
maintain large harems of females after they reach social maturity
at 5 to 7 years (and are able to defend a territory). Breeding season
occurs from May through June in Oregon. Gestation takes about 9 months
after which female sea lions give birth to one pup. Pups weigh around
50 pounds and are nearly 4 feet long at birth. Pups are born dark
brown but in 4 to 6 months they shed to a lighter brown. Females
give birth about every 1 to 2 years after reaching sexual maturity
at 4 to 5 years. Males reach sexual maturity at 5 to 7 years. Steller
sea lions live for approximately 20 years.
diet
Sea lions
are carnivores. In the wild, they feed on fish such as pollock, flounder,
Pacific cod, salmon, rockfish and sculpins, and invertebrates such
as octopus and squid. In the zoo they eat herring, capelin, smelt,
mackerel, squid and trout.
habitat/range
Steller
sea lions live on rocky shores and in coastal waters. Their habitat
ranges from the Northwestern California coast northward into Alaska's
Bering Sea to the Bering Straits. They can also be found in Russia's
Okhotsk Sea, Kamchatka Peninsula, and Kurlie and Commander Islands.
In addition, sea lions can be found in Japan as far south as Hokkaido
and northern Honshu.
status
Steller
sea lions are USFWS Threatened in Eastern Alaska and Washington,
Oregon and California. They are endangered in Western Alaska. The
number of sea lions declined by more than 80 percent between 1965
and 1994. Current estimates are approximately 67,000 or fewer in
U.S. waters.
oregon
zoo exhibit
Steller Cove
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