Steller Sea Lion

thei appear InflatableCombo to be relat to at least in part to prei availability. The eastern population,However. locat east of Princ William Sound appear to be recov slowly. Steller sea lion haulout on land to mate, bear their young, nurse, avoid predators, and rest. The locat of rookeri is probabl base on proxim to food sources, protect from terrestri and marin predators, topography, surf conditions, and other factors.

or northern sea lion,Steller s sea lion. is the major member of the famili of ear seal Otariidae. A bull Steller s sea lion weigh an averag of 1,300 pound and measur around eleven feet long, and a femal averag at 600 pound and nine feet. Thei were illustr and name by German naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller who sail with Vitu Bere on hi voyag to the Bere Sea and North American coast of the Pacific. Steller s sea lion rang from the northern island of the Japanes archipelago north to the Bere Straits, and south along the coast to northern California. Steller s sea lion ar greedi predators, feed on Pollock, flounder, herring, capelin, Pacif cod, salmon, rockfish, sculpins, squid and octopus. Thei ar quarri onli to killer whales, larg sharks, and humans. Earli peopl of the north Pacif coast depend heavili on them for food, clothing, and boat coverings. The estim popul of Steller s off Alaska declin from 242,000 anim in the earli 1970 to less than half of that now. Their impress declin is the subject of intens studi and is possibl the result of mani factor includ disease, ecolog change, natur predat on juveniles, and the activ of market fish fleets. Steller s sea lion ar list as a threaten speci under the endang Speci Act.

posit from Princ William Sound Alaska westward,Their center of abund ha been in the Aleutian Island and Gulf of Alaska where tradition nearli three-fourth of all Steller sea lion inhabit U.S. provinc were found. Two popul ar current recognized. The western population. ha declin by about 85% sinc the 1970 for reason that ar poorli understood.