The Steller Sea Lion Is the Largest of the Eared Seals

Sea lions and fur seals belong to a family known as the eared seals. NOAA Fisheries states that the Steller, or northern, sea lion is the largest member of that family. Males can weigh up to 2,500 pounds and reach about 11 feet in length, while females weigh up to 800 pounds and reach about 9.5 feet. They do not sound like the sea lions people know from harbors and aquariums. According to NOAA Fisheries, the Steller sea lion’s low-frequency calls sound more like roars than the barks of the smaller California sea lion. The species is named for Georg Wilhelm Steller, the German naturalist on the Bering expedition who first described it in 1742. Steller sea lions live along the coasts of the North Pacific Ocean, and they were first listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1990 after unexplained declines in Alaska.