Vaquita-Podcast

The vaquita, or porpoise, is the most endangered marine mammal within North America. They need our help to continue to live a prosperous life. Give my podcast a listen to learn fun facts about the Vaquita and how we can help them survive in the wild.

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Stellar Sea Lion

Stellar Sea Lion and pup sitting together.

Photograph from zooborns.com

   
     Steller Sea Lions are the largest of the species in the world. The males can be as long as 11 feet and weigh 2,500 pounds. The females are much smaller with a length close to 9.5 feet and they don’t weigh more than 800 pounds.
     They also have a lighter color to them than the other species. Steller Sea Lions can be reddish brown or even a light tan color. You will also nice that they all have very bulky necks.
     You will find Steller Sea Lions living along the coast of Japan along the Pacific rim all the way to central California. It is due to them being along the California coast that they are sometimes mistaken for California Sea Lions. Many people just assume that this is what they are due to the location.
Since the Steller Sea Lions spend so much time in the water it is hard to learn about their behaviors.       
     They do live in large groups like other species. They also use a wide range of sounds to communicate with each other.
     Steller Sea Lions find a wide variety of food to consume in the water. What they will eat depends on the season and what part of their distribution area that they live in. Some of the common ones include all types of fish, various invertebrates, and even smaller Sea Lions of the same species or others if those food sources are scarce.
     It is estimated there are less than 100,000 Steller Sea Lions remain today. In the past 30 years they have lost a large percentage of their population. Efforts are in place to protect them from hunters and from accidents in a hope that they will be able to survive.
     Careful research also shows that a lack of food in many of their locations though has led to them dying as well. When they don’t get enough to eat they will have less blubber stored to keep them warm. Females are less likely to mate when they are stressed and not getting enough food. Many of the young can be born sick due to poor nutrition and their mother’s may not be able to produce enough milk for them to survive.

How to Help
    People can help by symbolically adopting a stellar sea lion to save one in the wild, contacting your local government leaders, explaining the situation of the sea lions to gain support, and stay alert on the news about the stellar sea lion