Many animals call the Bay Area home, but some of them are more easily spotted than others. In this post, we’ll talk about three mammals that frequently interact with humans.
All three—sea lions, coyotes, and raccoons—are creatures native to California that predate the city of San Francisco and human habitation in general. But as humans further develop forests, expand shipping ports, and contribute to climate change, these animals have to find a way to adapt to new surroundings and rules as their habitats warm and diminish.
We’ll discuss why each animal is here, what they do for the ecosystem, how they are affected by human activity, and what kids can learn by (safely!) observing their behavior in and around the Bay.
California Sea Lions: Coastal Clowns
If you pass Pier 39 or venture out to the Presidio, you just might hear a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) before you see one. Known for their loud bark-like calls, the sea lion is an “eared seal” that has flapped ears instead of earholes.
While all of that loud barking might sound the same to a human’s (lobed) ear, to sea lions, those calls help families find each other. While the males’ barks are loudest and used to communicate with other males and females, a mother and her pup use unique vocalizations and their sense of smell to identify and find each other on busy beaches, or what are called “hauling-out” sites, where they leave the water where they live and spend time ashore. Once a mother locates her pup by the sound of its call, she will sniff it to confirm it’s her offspring.1
Where Sea Lions Live
California sea lions are found throughout the Pacific coast, from Mexico up to Alaska, and stay no farther than about ten miles from the sea.2 To eat, they hunt whatever fish is available, so they spend time in large groups basking on beaches, docks, and jetties throughout their habitat range, though their home is technically shallow coastal waters.
In the Bay Area, they can be found along coastal areas and in the northern part of the Presidio, around Crissy Field. Farther inland, sea lions are an attraction closer to touristy areas. In 1989, after the Loma Pieta earthquake, sea lions began to appear at Pier 39, where they remain today.3
Sea Lions’ Role in Our Ecosystem
California sea lions are large predators, and their health is often an indicator of the ecosystem they live in. When waters get too warm and toxic algae blooms, sea lions can fall ill from consuming sick fish lower on the food chain. When sea lions get sick, scientists can investigate the source of the algal bloom to protect people and other animals.
How to Help Sea Lions
Despite their large size (up to 700 pounds!), California sea lions may look cute and cuddly under all their blubber, but they are powerful predators and prefer to keep their distance from humans. Recently, more activity in busy ports and competition with commercial fishermen have put sea lions too close to humans, which can be dangerous for both humans and sea lions.
By remembering to respect sea lions’ space and never feeding them, you can observe them at a safe distance and enjoy their antics when they leave the water to bask on beaches and piers.
Coyotes: California’s Native Tricksters
Coyotes predate humans in the San Francisco Bay, and in some Native American stories, coyotes helped populate the world before humans arrived. In other tales, they are clever tricksters. After being driven out in the early 1900s, coyotes, native to California, have made a comeback. Coyotes are once again widespread across the US and have been popping up in cities across the country.4 In the Bay Area, coyote sightings are on the rise, and signs warning dog owners to keep their pets on a leash can be found in places where coyotes are most active.
Coyotes look like dogs because, along with wolves, they are in the same genus, or group of animals, called Canis. In fact, in the western United States, where coyotes are smaller, they are often compared to teenage German Shepherds. Their pointed ears and long bodies and similar golden-brown coloring do resemble loyal family dogs.
Unlike domesticated dogs, though, coyotes are wild. Some Native American tribal groups regard the coyote as a trickster, and others as the creator of the world.
Recent attacks by a young coyote on three small dogs in the Bay Area have made people fearful of this dog relative and once again calling for it to be removed from human habitats, but coyotes play a vital role in our ecosystem.5
Where Coyotes Live
As their habitats have been encroached upon, coyote populations that have stayed away from humans for the past hundred years have been left with no choice but to move toward cities and towns to survive. In the past five years, coyotes began to return to the Bay Area, but scientists who have studied coyotes’ DNA aren’t sure how. Their best guess? Coyotes crossed the Golden Gate Bridge from the north and into San Francisco.6
In parks and other natural areas, coyotes live in dens they dig into hillsides and under trees. But in areas with humans, they burrow under sheds or decks.7
Coyotes’ Role in Our Ecosystem
Carnivorous and quick, coyotes make excellent predators. They help keep populations of rats and feral cats in check, protect animals like baby birds from becoming kitty’s next meal, and keep pest populations down to prevent rodents from passing diseases they carry to people.
Because wolves and mountain lions are rare in most places where humans live, coyotes play this important role.
How to Help Coyotes
As with all wildlife, the best way to help coyotes is to leave them be. Don’t feed them, and keep at a safe distance. Keep dogs on leashes, especially in areas where coyote activity is common.
Kids can report sightings to help scientists learn more about our coyote neighbors.
Raccoons: Sneaky Scavengers
Where Raccoons Live
Raccoons can be found in parks. In the Bay Area, populations can be found in Golden Gate Park and the Presidio. But they’re most likely to be seen at night, because raccoons are generally nocturnal animals. They are most active in late summer and early fall.8
Sometimes, raccoons take up residence in unusual places, like the walls of buildings, roofs, or chimneys.
Raccoons’ Role in Our Ecosystem
In cities, raccoons unfortunately are considered to be nuisance animals because they scavenge human food, raiding garbage bins and leaving messes behind.
But when they forage, raccoons eat berries, and when they poop, they spread seeds from those berries and help new plants to grow. They also eat small rodents and insects, and like coyotes, keep pests in check.
As scavengers, they will clean up the remains of other dead animals, helping to reduce disease.
How to Help Raccoons
Able to eat just about anything and adapting to live anywhere, urban raccoons thrive where they can find human food in the trash. But in their natural forest habitat, raccoons can be seen fishing near streams and foraging for berries.
The best way to help raccoons is to avoid coming into contact with them and limiting their access to food. Always place food wrappers in trash bins and put food waste in a compost bin. Securing bins with bungee cords or ties to keep raccoons out.
Even though these furry masked bandits appear cute (and scientists are finding their snouts are shortening compared with their rural raccoon relatives!), they can carry diseases like rabies, so be sure to keep a safe distance from them at all times.9
Learning about our animal neighbors and urban ecology can help little kids become budding citizen scientists. For more fun STEM activities to sprout their curiosity, sign your child up for one of STEMful’s afterschool or school break programs.
Footnotes:
1. “Sea Lion,” NOAA Fisheries, April 7, 2025, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/california-sea-lion.
2.“California Sea Lion,” Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, accessed September 9, 2026, https://www.nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/california-sea-lion?qt-learn_more_about_the_animal=0.
3.“The Story of the Sea Lions at Pier 39,” Pier 39, accessed September 9, 2026, https://www.pier39.com/sealions/.
4. Heather Knight and Loren Elliott, “The Coyotes of San Francisco,” New York Times, May 19, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/us/coyotes-san-francisco-california.html.
5.Tim Johns, “Coyote That Killed 3 Dogs, Attacked People in San Francisco Killed by Officials,” ABC 7, October 12, 2024, https://abc7news.com/post/coyote-killed-3-dogs-attacked-people-san-francisco-officials/15419403/.
6. Knight and Elliott, “Coyotes of San Francisco.”
7. “Urban Coyote Do’s & Don’ts,” City of Dallas NewsHub, accessed September 9, 2026, https://www.dallascitynews.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Coyote-dos-donts.pdf.
8. “Raccoons in the City,” San Francisco Animal Care & Control, accessed September 9, 2026, https://www.sfanimalcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Raccoons-Coexistence-Action-Plan.pdf.
9. Artem Apostolov, Alanis Bradley, Shane Dreher, Cole Dwyer, Jessica Edwards, Marie E. Evans et al. “Tracking Domestication Signals Across Populations of North American Raccoons (Procyon lotor) via Citizen Science-Driven Image Repositories,” Frontiers in Zoology 22 (October 2025): 28, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12983-025-00583-1.