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The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward announced Friday the birth of a female Steller sea lion pup, born over a week ago to Eden, one of the center's 13-year-old females, and 20-year-old "iconic" male, Woody. The as-yet-unnamed pup, born on June 20, appears to be "doing well" and "bonding extremely well with her mother," the center reported in a press release.
The successful birth comes just weeks after another sea lion pup, this time carried by 13-year-old female Tasu, was delivered stillborn. Sea lion pups have been difficult to deliver successfully in non-native environments, with the Center reporting that the new pup is a first for the facility, and the first born in North America "collections" of Steller sea lions since the 1980s. Even among some wild populations of Steller sea lions, researchers estimate as many as 15 percent of babies don't live past the first week of life.
Baby and mother are not currently available for general viewing, but are expected to go public within the next few months. The pair are part of the center's ongoing investigating of Alaska's endangered Steller sea lion population. Steller sea lions can live as long as three decades, and the females can weigh more than 500 pounds.