The grizzly bear of the ocean

The Steller Sea Lion! They are quite large and have a growling voice that definitely makes you turn your head and pay attention to these large marine mammals. The big males like the one you can see in the photo can weigh up to and over 1,000kg and be close to 3m|9ft in length, which can be a little bit intimidating when you are scuba diving and they decide to come over out of natural curiosity and investigate what you are.

Looking at the big male you can quite easily see where the name sea lion comes from, as they do have bit of a mane around the neck, which the males only have. Females are typically a lot smaller and lack this prominent mane. They are also considered to be 'eared-seals' and if you take a close look at the side of their head you can see a small external ear lobe, which is where the name comes from.

At the end of the day though, they are impressive and incredibly comical to watch as they socialize with one another on the rocks and occasionally having a few disputes about who's rock it is and who should be lying on it...

Click image to view full size