Steller Sea Lions
Using the scientific method to focus on a real-world, current problem
Ugamak Island, Alaska - Three aerial photos taken of this Steller Sea Lion rookery in three different years. (A rookery is a location where the sea lions give birth to and raise their babies.)
In your notebook, title the next page "Mystery in Alaska." Update your ToC.
List some OBSERVATIONS about the images above. (qualitative or quantitative...use of your senses)
What QUESTIONS come to mind? List as many as your mind comes up with!
What about some inferences you made? List them.
FYI - Sea Lions: A Global Snapshot
In the North Pacific, Steller sea lions are endangered in parts of their range and are considered threatened with extinction in others. In contrast, populations of California sea lions are sharply rising in Mexico and California.
Elsewhere, the Japanese subspecies of the California sea lion is probably extinct and the Galapagos subspecies is in low numbers. Populations of New Zealand sea lions and Australian sea lions are also extremely low, with major declines recently reported in Australia. Relatively little is known about the South American sea lion.
According to scientific method for problem-solving, what would be the best next step?