Oregon mammals

Steller Sea Lion in Oregon

Eumetopias jubatus

Native to Oregon S3 Vulnerable in Oregon

Not listed as nonindigenous in Oregon by USGS NAS; native to its Oregon range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

NT – Near Threatened

Close to qualifying as threatened in the near future.

Leones marinos de Steller (Eumetopias jubatus), Bahía de Aialik, Seward, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-21, DD 80Three Steller sea lions resting and alert on a rocky ledge above the water in AlaskaLarge Steller sea lion emerging from the surf onto a rocky shore near Juneau, mouth openLarge Steller sea lion colony hauled out together on a sunlit rocky islet
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Leones marinos de Steller (Eumetopias jubatus), Bahía de Aialik, Seward, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-21, DD 80Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Three Steller sea lions resting and alert on a rocky ledge above the water in AlaskaPhoto: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Large Steller sea lion emerging from the surf onto a rocky shore near Juneau, mouth openPhoto: Rajan Rao · CC BY 4.0Large Steller sea lion colony hauled out together on a sunlit rocky islet

Steller Sea Lion in Oregon, by the numbers

Common in Oregon 32nd most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

753 occurrence records
727 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 4, 2026 Last seen in Oregon

Records from 2000–2026.

753 total records count every Oregon occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 752 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Steller Sea Lion in Oregon

Most sightings fall in June to July.

752 Oregon occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Oregon records (table)
MonthRecords
January23
February38
March56
April83
May71
June137
July132
August77
September37
October28
November36
December34

Monthly steller sea lion occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Oregon, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July, with a smaller rise in April.

Occurrence map

Where Steller Sea Lion has been recorded in Oregon

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

298 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness Area 144
Siuslaw National Forest 11
Cape Meares State Natural Area Reserve 3
Cascade Range 2
Cape Arago Marine Gardens and Simpson Reef State Natural Area 1
Netarts Spit State Natural Area Reserve 1
Gearheart Ocean State Park 1

Protected places with the most steller sea lion sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Oregon

CountyRecords
Lane County 249
Coos County 58
Lincoln County 44
Multnomah County 37
Clatsop County 37
Tillamook County 36
Columbia County 14
Clackamas County 7
Curry County 6
Linn County 1
Hood River County 1
Other localities 263

The complete county distribution, spread across 11 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Steller sea lion records belong to Oregon’s marine edge, where rocky headlands, nearshore water, and haul-out sites concentrate both animals and observers; inland place labels in aggregated records should be treated cautiously. June and July account for the strongest seasonal rise, though reports extend through the rest of the year. The record pattern documents sightings along a heavily watched coast and cannot be read as a census of sea lions.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Leones marinos de Steller (Eumetopias jubatus), Bahía de Aialik, Seward, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-08-21, DD 80
Full species profile Steller Sea Lion Eumetopias jubatus Size 2.4–2.9 m7.9–9.4 ft Weight 273–1000 kg601.9–2204.6 lb Lifespan Up to 32.8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Oregon in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"