Gray whales can sometimes be spotted during their fall migrations to Baja Californiaor during their spring swims to feeding grounds in the chilly waters of the Arctic. A mile south of this point, along a line of reefs that lie halfway between Shore Acres and Cape Arago, you stand a good chance of seeing harbor seals, elephant seals, and Steller's sea lions. The Steller's sea lion is an enormous mammal that takes its name from George Wilhelm Steller, who was the naturalist on Vitus Bergin's great expedition to Alaska in 1740. Because the Steller's sea lion lacks a thick coat of underfur, it has never been popular with fur hunters. However, its habit of occasionally preying on squid, halibut, crabs, and other valuable species has hardly won it many friends among commercial fishermen.
Sea lions breed in small colonies after what are often fierce battles between the males.
Such conflicts are more than just staged events. In fact, it would be hard to find a single harem bull that doesn't wear more than a few scars around his neck from wounds inflicted by opponents' teeth. Sometimes young are washed off the rocks by large waves and can't get back up again. Others are crushed by careless bulls, some of which weigh in at a whopping 2,000 pounds. Steller's sea lions do most of their feeding at night, along a band of ocean that extends roughly 10 to 15 miles out from shore.