Steller sea lions range along the North Pacific Rim from northern Japan to California. Pupping and breeding occur late May to early July throughout their range. Males set up territories on rookeries in late May, females arrive shortly thereafter and give birth to a single pup. They alternate between nursing their pup and feeding trips; most pups are weaned by the end of their first year. The species is not known to migrate, but individuals disperse widely outside of the breeding season, particularly adult males and juveniles. Adult males are up to 3.25 m long and weigh up to 1120 kg; females are considerably smaller at up to 2.9 m and 350 kg. Pups weigh about 23 kg at birth. Two separate stocks of Steller sea lions are recognized within U. S. waters: an eastern and western stock. As a result of a precipitous decline in numbers beginning in the 1970s, the western stock is presently listed as Endangered under the ESA.
- Biology
- Distribution
- Population Decline
- Steller sea lion research coordination, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
- Steller sea lion surveys 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
- Steller sea lion databases
- Employing Technology for Conservation
- Telemetry Research
- Current Research Projects by the Alaska Ecosystems Program
- Current Research Projects by the California Current Ecosystems Program
- Publications: search AFSC database for Steller Sea Lions
- Posters: search AFSC database for Steller Sea Lions
- Quarterly Reports
- CASTELLINI, J. M., L. D. REA, C. L. LIESKE, K. B. BECKMEN, B. S. FADELY, J. M. MANISCALCO, and T. M. O'HARA.
2012. Mercury concentrations in hair from neonatal and juvenile Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus): Implications based on age and region in this northern Pacific marine sentinel piscivore. EcoHealth 9(3):267-277.
- WAITE, J. N., V. N. BURKANOV, and R. D. ANDREWS.
2012. Prey competition between sympatric Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) on Lovushki Island, Russia. Can. J. Zool. 90(1):110-127.
- WILSON, K., L. FRITZ, E. KUNISCH, K. CHUMBLEY, and D. JOHNSON.
2012. Effects of research disturbance on the behavior and abundance of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) at two rookeries in Alaska. Mar. Mammal Sci. 28:E58-E74.
- PHILLIPS, C. D., T. S. GELATT, J. C. PATTON, and J. W. BICKHAM.
2011. Phylogeography of Steller sea lions: Relationships among climate change, effective population size, and genetic diversity. J. Mammal. 92:1091-1104. (.pdf, 948 KB).
Online.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Steller Sea Lion publications
- Seasonal Distribution and Relative Abundance of Steller Sea Lion Prey in the Aleutian Islands
2.07 MB Online.
- Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus) Demographic Studies in Russian Waters
8.87 MB Online.
- Local Abundance and Movement of Atka Mackerel and Other Steller Sea Lion Prey in the Aleutian Islands
19 MB Online.
- Search the AFSC database for additional Steller Sea Lion posters