Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. Sea otters dive to rocky reefs, where they collect invertebrates and also a large rock.
Upon returning to the surface, they float on their backs, with the rock on the stomachs. They use the rock as a table against which they smash their shelled prey to get to the soft parts that they can eat.
Sea otters are often observed behaving in this manner, individually or in small groups. Sea otters spend all of their time in the ocean, including sleeping.
Since they must sleep at the surface, they often wrap themselves in giant kelp to keep from floating away. By controlling sea urchin populations, sea otters promote giant kelp growth, as that species is a favorite of sea urchin grazers. In this manner, sea otters are keystone predators in the kelp forests where they live.
They are not at the top of the food web, however, and are eaten by orcas , great white sharks and other large predators. Sea otters are quite large, weighing up to pounds 45 kg and reaching lengths of nearly 5 feet 1. Both mating and birth take place in the water, and males have harems of several females. Thirteen different species exist around the globe. The U. River otters are much smaller — averaging pounds — with a cylindrical body and small head.
Sea otters weigh more — around pounds — with large, furry faces. Otters have some interesting relatives. Otters are part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family of carnivorous mammals that includes skunks, weasels, wolverines, and badgers. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family, yet the smallest marine mammal in North America.
Most sea otters call Alaska home. Hunted to the edge of extinction by fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries, the few remaining sea otters about 2, scattered in remnant colonies throughout the North Pacific rim were first protected by the International Fur Seal Treaty in Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight in food every day.
To find food, sea otters may occasionally dive as deep as feet and will use their sensitive whiskers to locate small prey inside crevices or their strong forepaws to dig for clams.
Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal. Their fur contains between , to 1,, hair follicles per square inch. Unlike most other marine mammals, otters lack a blubber layer. Instead, they depend on their dense, water-resistant fur to provide insulation. To keep warm, sea otters spend a large portion of their days grooming and conditioning their fur.
This traps air and heat next to their skin. Sea otters can have a pup any time of the year. Southern sea otters breed and pup year-round, while northern sea otter pups in Alaska are usually born in the spring. A newborn pup needs constant attention and will stay with its mother for six months until it develops survival skills. This coat is invaluable to otters, but it has worth to some humans as well. Sea otters were hunted for their fur to the point of near extinction. Early in the 20th century only 1, to 2, animals remained.
Today, sea otters are protected by law. All rights reserved. A sea otter photographed at Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. Common Name: Sea Otter. Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris. Type: Mammals. Diet: Carnivore. Size: 4 feet.
Weight: 65 pounds. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth.
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