The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is named for the naturalist Georg Wilhelm Steller (1709-1746), a German botanist, zoologist, physician and explorer, who first described it in 1741. It is called a lion from the mane of coarse long hair around the face. These sea lions are able to rotate their hind flippers forward, which allow them to support their entire weight when walking on all flippers. Also known as the northern sea lion and Steller's sea lion, it is found in coastal waters of the North Pacific Ocean from Japan to central California.
