Northern Sea Lion

Northern Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
20–30% · Possible
overall probability at Great Bear Rainforest
256 Verified records at Great Bear Rainforest
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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. Wikipedia →

20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Sea Lion sighting in Great Bear Rainforest, based on 256 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

📅 Monthly Probability

20–30
Jan
20–30
Feb
30–40
Mar
20–30
Apr
20–30
May
20–30
Jun
20–30
Jul
30–40
Aug
30–40
Sep
20–30
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
80–90%
2 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
30–40%
3 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
4 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
5 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
6 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
7 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
9 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Northern Sea Lion in Great Bear Rainforest?

About 26% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Sea Lion sighting in Great Bear Rainforest, based on 256 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Northern Sea Lion in Great Bear Rainforest?

September has the highest sighting rate for Northern Sea Lion in Great Bear Rainforest in our monthly data.

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