Phocarctos hookeri
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri), once known as Hooker's sea lion, and as pakake (for both male and female) or whakahao (male) and kake (female) in Māori, is a species of sea lion that is endemic to New Zealand and primarily breeds on New Zealand's subantarctic Auckland and Campbell islands, and have in recent years been slowly breeding and recolonising around the coast of New Zealand's South and Stewart islands. The New Zealand sea lion population estimate is less than 10,000 individuals and fewer than 5,000 breeding adults. This number has declined from an estimated population of over 15,000 in the early 2000s, and it is one of the world's rarest sea lion species. It is the only species of the genus Phocarctos.
New Zealand sea lions are one of the largest New Zealand animals. Like all otariids, they have marked sexual dimorphism; adult males are 240–350 centimetres (7.9–11.5 ft) long and weigh 320–450 kilograms (710–990 lb), while adult females are 180–200 centimetres (5.9–6.6 ft) long and weigh 90–160 kilograms (200–350 lb). At birth, pups are 70–100 centimetres (2.3–3.3 ft) long and weigh 8–10 kilograms (18–22 lb); the natal pelage is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Sea Lion sighting in Rakiura National Park on a given day, based on 261 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 6 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February, July and November
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a New Zealand Sea Lion in Rakiura National Park on a given day, against about 20% in August, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most New Zealand 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.
Only Rakiura National Park, in our data
Rakiura National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate New Zealand Sea Lion sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the New Zealand Sea Lion is recorded against all the mammals logged in Rakiura National Park (261 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.
