Weekly Wild Steller Sea Lion Monitoring Videos are Back!
The Alaska SeaLife Center‘s (ASLC) Chiswell Island Steller sea lion research team has resumed their weekly videos on sea lion monitoring. The team started daily monitoring of Chiswell Island with the remote video monitoring system controlled by the ASLC, with new males arriving on the island throughout May to establish territories.
Chiswell Island – An Important Rookery for Endangered Sea Lion Population
Chiswell Island is an essential rookery for this endangered sea lion population, which the ASLC team has monitored for 25 years. With the return of the weekly wild Steller sea lion monitoring videos, viewers worldwide get to see what the team has been watching and learn more about these majestic sea lions.
Males Establishing Territories on the Island
Male sea lions are known to arrive on the island to establish their territories. The research team has seen this phenomenon in action. They use their remote video monitoring system to capture footage of the male sea lions as they battle to establish their territories.
Map of Territories
The ASLC scientists have watched males defend over the past 25 years, marking 11 territories on a map of the island. However, every rookery season brings the question of whether a new male will come into the mix and change the previous year’s territories. Viewers of the weekly wild Steller sea lion monitoring videos will have the opportunity to see how these territories shift or stay the same.
Scientific Research Paper
Viewers interested in learning more about Steller sea lion territories can read a scientific research paper published by the ASLC team in 2014. The paper focuses on male territorial behavior and what it means for female and male Steller sea lions. Readers can access the paper on the ASLC website.
Final Thoughts
The ASLC Chiswell Island Steller, sea lion research team is dedicated to monitoring and studying these endangered creatures. Through the weekly wild Steller sea lion monitoring videos, viewers around the globe can see how the males establish their territories and potentially shift the established territories on the island. We must continue to learn more about these amazing creatures, their behaviors, and their adaptation to changing environmental conditions to ensure their survival in the wild.
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Summary of Description:
The ASLC Chiswell Island Steller, sea lion research team has resumed their weekly monitoring videos of the Endangered sea lion population. They have started daily monitoring of Chiswell Island with the remote video monitoring system controlled by the ASLC. Males have been arriving throughout May to establish territories on the island, and the team is watching to see if any new males will come in and change the areas. The team published a scientific research paper 2014 about what they learned from studying the sea lion territories.
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Source Description
Weekly wild Steller sea lion monitoring videos are back! Tune in every weekend for an update from the ASLC Chiswell Island Steller sea lion research team! The team has started daily monitoring of Chiswell Island with the remote video monitoring system controlled by the ASLC.
Chiswell Island is an essential rookery for this Endangered sea lion population that our team has been monitoring for 25 years. Here’s what our team has seen so far! Males have been arriving throughout May to establish territories on the island.
This map shows the 11 territories that ASLC scientists have watched males defend over the past 25 years. Will a new male come into the mix this year and change the previous year’s territories? We’ll see!
Want to learn more about the territories and what it means for both male and female Steller sea lions? Our team published a scientific research paper 2014 about what they learned: http://www.alaskasealife.org/uploads/chiswell_studies_pdfs/chiswell_territorial_males.pdf.
