text x_quick_Title2=Class: Mammalia~Order: Pinnipedia~Family: Otariidae~(Eumetopias jubatus)
text x_quick=Where In the World~` In summer, Steller sea-lions are found in rookeries in the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. ~` The historic range of the Steller sea-lion includes the northern Pacific Ocean from the Japanese island of Hokkaido through the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, which borders Alaska, south to the Channel Islands off California. ~` Today, there are fewer than 25,000 individuals throughout the range, sadly this number has dropped from about 250,000 in the 1970s.~ ~Take a Look!~` On average, males weigh over 1,200 pounds and can be 9 feet long, or longer. Females weigh much less at about 600 pounds and can be over 7 feet in length. ~` Fur is a light tan to brown, slightly darker on the chest and abdomen. Adult males have broad chests with coarse fur on their chest, shoulders and back. Both male and female can produce a roaring sound.~` All sea-lions, including the Stellar, are eared seals. ~ ~All in the Family~` Other relatives include the California sea-lion and the Australian sea-lion.~ ~Just the Facts~` Another name for the Steller sea-lion is the northern sea-lion.~` Steller sea-lions travel in herds. ~` Except during breeding and birthing, Steller sea-lions spend most of their time swimming through coastal waters.~` When they want to take a rest, they "haul out" or come ashore on docks, beaches, reefs, breakwaters and other natural and manufactured locations. They will rest at sea, too, in close-packed floating groups.~` Squid and many kinds of fish make up the main part of the Steller sea-lion's diet.~` It may still be possible to see groups of hundreds of them feeding on schools of fish or squid.~` Males reach sexual maturity at about 3 years of age, females about 1 year later.~` Mating occurs on rocky and isolated islands and beaches. Birth occurs there, too, as does nursing.~` Mating occurs only once a year, a single young being born anywhere from 8 to 15 months later. Twins are extremely rare. ~` Sea-lions can delay fertilisation of an egg. Scientists think this may be an evolutionary adaptation so that all births happen at about the same time each year, thus providing the protection a large group of nursing mothers and their offspring provides.~` Given good health and a safe habitat, a female Steller sea-lion can live for about 30 years, a male perhaps 20.
;Habitat
text x_hab= The Steller sea-lion lives most of each year in the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean. They only require dry land for mating, birthing, and raising their young for the first 2 weeks of life. Other than that, these large animals find their prey in the waters along the coastal areas of their range, only sometimes coming ashore for a rest.~\
Scientists have found that many sea-lions seek out and return to the site of their birth year after year. One male returned to the same territory where it was born each year for at least seven years! No one is certain how the animals are able to locate "their" island, since sea-lions wander far in the months between each annual breeding season. Even though their habitat is the sea, these remarkable mammals maintain a sense of "home," much as migrating birds or whales seem to do.
;Food
text x_eat= Steller sea-lions are the largest of all the species of sea-lions. They need a steady supply of food, and plenty of it! To help them maintain their body temperature, they eat oil- and fat-rich prey to create a warm, insulating layer of fat. ~\
The usual diet includes a wide variety of fish and sea creatures - walleye pollock, herring, salmon, rockfish, hake, Pacific cod, and others - plus a few species you might not consider - octopus, squid, and lamprey. Sometimes they'll even eat other seal species and sea otters. During the breeding season, males who have been successful in establishing a territory for mating will remain on land and eat nothing at all for a period of up to 43 days!
;Habits and Characteristics
text x_life= Steller sea-lions do not migrate in the traditional sense - they "disperse." That means they leave their secluded rookeries after the breeding season and head toward deeper coastal waters. There they can usually find an ample supply of food. And while the Stellar is particularly fond of fish and squid, it will also eat octopus, shell fish of many kinds - and an occasional seal and sea otter. Sea-lions can go very deep beneath the waves in the search for prey. In fact, researchers have measured dives as far as 600 feet straight down. ~\
The Steller sea-lion is a friendly, energetic, and hardy animal. They travel in herds and stick together until the beginning of the breeding season. Males of breeding age will return to their place of birth starting in May (most arriving before early July). There they stake out a territory by competing with other males. The fights can be long and often result in severe wounds. Eventually, though, a male who has been successful in setting up a territory will defend it with roars, but little fighting. (Sea-lions who do not secure a territory will live with others "losers" and younger sea-lions on the beaches near the rookeries. They will not mate that year.) ~\
Territories are large, averaging about 600 square feet in size. What's particularly interesting is that once settled in his territory, the male will stay put and not eat for about a month and a half. The females will come ashore about 3 days before birth, and assemble with other females in the most favourable birthing sites, which are just above the high-water mark. Groups of 10 or more females will congregate in each of the territories established by the males. About two weeks after birth, the male will mate with many of the females in his territory, and the process begins again. ~\
When the pups are born, they are about three feet long. They stay with their mothers for about two weeks on the beach. Then they make their move to the water. At first, the pups stay in shallow water, getting used to swimming. But it isn't long before they're zipping out to deeper waters. As they grow, their ability to stay in deep water longer increases, and they get better at catching their food of fish and squid. When the time comes to leave the rookeries, the newborns are strong and large enough to keep up with the pack.
;Threats
text x_threat= The once-vast populations of Steller sea-lions has fallen dramatically in the past 25 years or so, from a high near 300,000 individuals in the 1970s to fewer than 25,000 in 1994. No one knows why this swift decline is happening, but some scientists think it is due to pollutants in the Pacific Ocean. Others believe it is because populations of walleye pollock (the major food fish of the Stellar) are also vanishing. That, too, could be caused by pollution. ~\
A number of efforts are underway in an attempt to help the species. Buffer zones have been established near the largest breeding islands. No boats or ships are permitted to go closer than three miles to these rookeries. On land, people are not allowed to get closer than one-half mile to the animals. And the National Marine Fisheries Service has reduced the number of Steller sea-lions that it allows to be killed by commercial fishermen. ~\
If you want to help the Steller sea-lion, the best way is to concentrate on ocean pollution. There are several good environmental groups that are working on ways to limit and control ocean dumping and water pollution, like Green Peace, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund. Any of these groups would be pleased to have you as a member, to join them in the fight to save the Steller sea-lion and all the creatures that live in the ocean by protecting and cleaning up their oceanic habitat worldwide.
;Fun Facts
text x_unique_Title=Feathery Feet
text x_unique= Sea-lions are members of a group of animals which together are called pinnipeds. "Pinniped" comes from two Latin words: pinna, meaning wing or feather, and ped, meaning foot. Sea-li
