Steller sea lions were once abundant throughout the North Pacific, and Indigenous peoples and settlers used them for meat, hides, and oil. The Western distinct population segment is endangered, while the Eastern population has recovered and is no longer listed. Steller sea lions are the largest of the “eared seals,” with males weighing up to 2,500 pounds. These […]
Proactive Cooperation Pinnipeds—seals, sea lions, and walruses—are inquisitive animals. This makes them vulnerable to becoming entangled around their necks when they investigate loop-shaped marine debris such as packing bands and abandoned fishing nets. They can also become snagged by fishing hooks and entangled by other garbage that enters the marine ecosystem. In 2009, a group […]
Imagine that you are enjoying a wonderful day along Alaska’s rocky shores when suddenly you see something strange in the water. Is that an orca? You look through your binoculars and realize it is a Steller sea lion. You see its flipper in the air, and it only surfaces its head to breathe once in […]
Within their bulbous bodies, Steller sea lions of the western Aleutian Islands seem to carry more mercury than sea lions closer to mainland Alaska. By looking at tiny bits of fish and squid, a graduate student is trying to find out where that mercury is coming from. Steller sea lions drape their chocolate bodies […]