Eumetopias jubatus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), also known as Steller's sea lion or the northern sea lion, is a large, near-threatened species of sea lion, predominantly found in the coastal marine habitats of the northeast Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Northwest regions of North America, from north-central California to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia to Alaska. Its range continues across the Northern Pacific and the Aleutian Islands, all the way to Kamchatka, Magadan Oblast, and the Sea of Okhotsk, south to Honshu's northern coastline. It is the sole member of the genus Eumetopias, and the largest of the so-called eared seals (Otariidae). Among pinnipeds, only the walrus and the two species of elephant seal are bigger. The species is named for the naturalist and explorer Georg Wilhelm Steller, who first described them in 1741. Steller sea lions have attracted considerable attention in recent decades, both from scientists and the general public, due to significant (and largely unexplained) declines in their numbers over an extensive portion of their northern range, notably in Alaska.
Adult animals are lighter in color than most sea lions, ranging from pale yellow... Wikipedia →
Recording0:20
Canada · 2019
© Baxter Naday · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording1:02
Canada · 2023
© Liam Ragan · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:27
United States · 2022
© Tuoichen · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Nausicaà Centre National de la Mer | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Kaliningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Faunia | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Zoomarine | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 6 | Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Vancouver Aquarium | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Entopia | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Alaska SeaLife Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Moscow Oceanarium | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 11 | Pacific Undersea Gardens | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Victoria Bug Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Sea Lion sighting in Kenai Fjords National Park on a given day, based on 185 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Sea Lion in Kenai Fjords National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January, the lowest month. March and October–December have too few records to rate.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Sea Lion sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Northern Sea Lion sightings, Kenai Fjords National Park has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 40%) and Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Canada, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Carnivora
The closest relatives of the Northern Sea Lion that you can see in Kenai Fjords National Park (order Carnivora, Carnivorans) are Sea Otter (about 90%), Harbor Seal (about 80%) and American Black Bear (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Sea Lion is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kenai Fjords National Park (185 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
