Adult males lack the saggital crest that adult male California sea lions display. Stellers are found throughout the North Pacific rim from Japan to central California. Unlike California sea lions, Stellers tend to remain offshore or haul out in unpopulated areas. Mothers stay with pups for one to two weeks before hunting at sea. Then they spend roughly equal amounts of time hunting and nursing pups on land.
Pups usually nurse for a year, but some continue to nurse for up to three years.
Breeding occurs 10-14 days after the pups are born. Dominant mature males maintain territories for one to two months and breed with many females. During the breeding season, males do not eat. Steller sea lions eat a variety of fishes, invertebrates, and other pinnipeds. Stellers can contract many of the same diseases as California sea lions, such as leptospirosis and San Miguel sea lion virus.