Name: Steller's Sea Lion

Description: Males, called bulls, reach 3 m (10 ft) in length and 1 metric ton in weight. The much smaller females, or cows, are about 2.2 m (7 ft) long and weigh just over 200 kg (440 lb). Both sexes are nearly hairless, with tan to auburn bodies and darker chests and abdomens. Adult males have bulky, muscular necks accented by a mane of short, coarse fur. With bear like skulls and sharp teeth, Steller's sea lions are formidable carnivores.

Reason for being endangered: However, a permit issued by the U.S. government in 1988 has allowed commercial fishers to kill up to 1350 sea lions per year. The population has declined drastically over the last 20 years. The reason for the decline is unclear, but likely factors include drowning deaths from entanglement in fishnets, shooting by fishers, and reduction of important prey, such as walleye Pollock, as a result of over harvesting by commercial fisheries. Due to this decline, this sea lion was finally classified as threatened in 1990 through the Endangered Species Act.

Where you can find them: It inhabits in northern Pacific Ocean from central California in the southwestern United States to Japan, with the largest numbers found in the Alaskan waters of northwestern North America.