To hunt prey, sea otters have been known to dive as deep as 320 feet; however, males mostly forage at depths of around 260 feet and females about 180 feet. 12 Facts about Otters for Sea Otter Awareness Week 1. They spend the majority of their lives on their backs, only flipping over onto their fronts when greater speed is required. The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. Sea otters have several adaptations that allow them to live in a marine environment. To be fair, it’s more keepy-uppy than juggling, albeit keepy-uppy with two or three rocks at a time. Not all otters use tools, but sea otters use them all the time. The gestation period lasts for six months, and females nearly always give birth to a single live pup, although twinning does occur. Mint Images - Frans Lanting / Getty Images, Gulf of Maine Cod Project, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries / National Archives, The Family Otariidae: Characteristics of Eared Seals and Sea Lions, 5 Environmental Consequences of Oil Spills, Harp Seal Facts (Pagophilus groenlandicus), Neritic Zone: Definition, Animal Life, and Characteristics, Bald Eagles and Sea Otters in the Aleutian Archipelago: Indirect Effects of Trophic Cascades, Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni), Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis), Do Trophic Cascades Affect the Storage and Flux of Atmospheric Carbon? If there is a decline in sea otters due to natural predation or other factors such as an oil spill, urchin populations explode. However, when tackling species with the heaviest armour, such as as marine snails and thick-shelled bivalves, sea otters often employ tools. They have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. Their sleek, streamlined bodies are perfect for diving and swimming. An Amazing Animal: 3 Sea Otter Facts. Some of the best known are the giant otter, the sea otter, the European otter, the Northern river otter among others. An Analysis of Sea Otters and Kelp Forests, M.S., Resource Administration and Management, University of New Hampshire, B.S., Natural Resources, Cornell University. As you already know, Otters hold hands while eating and sleeping so they don’t lose each other. Instead of blubber, the sea otter keeps itself warm with its dense coat. Unlike some marine mammals like whales that would die if they were on land for too long, sea otters can go up onto land to rest, groom, or nurse. Sea otters can sometimes be seen off sandy beaches — and even local harbors. Fun Facts for Kids. Otters live in a wide variety of watery locations, from the mighty Amazon to the heart of Singapore. When sea otter populations are healthy, urchin populations are kept in check, and kelp is abundant. Jennifer Kennedy, M.S., is an environmental educator specializing in marine life. There are 13 known species of otters, which range in size from 2.9 feet (90 cm) all the way to 5.9 feet (1.8 m) long! And you definitely don’t want to mess with giant otters, just check out this clip below! 90% of all sea otters live on the coast of Alaska. It takes 8–10 weeks for the pup to shed its initial fur and learn to dive and the pup stays with the mother for up to six months after birth. Sea otters often float at the water's surface, lying on their backs in a posture of serene repose. Get the Facts. She serves as the executive director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. While sea otter populations increased after legal protections were put in place, there have been recent declines in sea otters in the Aleutian Islands (thought to be from orca predation) and a decline or plateau in the populations in California. They are native to the northern coastlines of the Pacific Ocean, from northern Japan to Baja, Mexico. The answer varies by species and location. In fact, sea otters are one of the only mammals (apart from primates) to have developed tool use. Thanks! While mothers and pups are usually solitary, sea otters can form social groups of up to a few dozen. Recreational juggling may be a playful way of learning how best to manipulate these tools. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. Sea otters, particularly mothers and pups, sometimes hold hands while floating on their backs. However, they do spend most if not all of their lives in the water—Sea otters even give birth in the water. Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Sea otters are provided a varied diet while in human care. When sea otter populations are abundant, bald eagles prey primarily on fish and sea otter pups, but when sea otter populations declined in early the 2000s due to predation by an increased population of orcas, bald eagles preyed more on marine birds and had more offspring because of the higher caloric content of a seabird diet. Otters can be found in unpolluted waters all over the world in marshland, freshwater rivers, lakes, oceans and coastlines. The most gregarious by far are sea otters, which are polygynous (males mate with multiple females). National Geographic: North American River Otter 3. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. Currently the southern sea otter population is estimated at just above 3,000 animals. Forget everything you thought you knew about otter species. Tips for spotting a sea otter. Their bodies are insulated by a thick fur coat and not by blubber as in other marine mammals. The large hind feet are broad and flipperlike. They can keep extra food in this spot, and also store a favorite rock for cracking the shell of their prey. Already have an account with us? Sea Otter Facts. Their nickname is the “sea beaver.” They keep warm because of their incredibly dense fur–with up to nearly 1,000,000 (one million) hairs per square inch! A sea otter can consume up to 11kg of food every day to support its high metabolism – that’s about a quarter of its own body weight! Although there is just one species of sea otter, there are three subspecies: Sea otters eat fish and marine invertebrates like crabs, urchins, sea stars, and abalone, as well as squid and octopuses. But that isn't an issue for the talented sea otter, which cracks open the shells by banging them with rocks. Sea otters will eat virtually anything they can get their little paws on. They typically use rocks and empty shells to feed on marine snails, crabs, sea urchins and mussels. Research has shown that sea otters are vital to the health of carbon-absorbing kelp forests. Mating is polygynous—one male breeds with all the females in its breeding territory. The behaviour is likely to be linked to the animals’ use of rocks to detach prey from the seabed and break it open. An otter is one of the few species that use tools. They’re renowned for preying on hard-shelled marine invertebrates, including abalones, sea urchins, clams, mussels and crabs, usually fracturing the shells with their teeth. Sea otters reproduce sexually and that only occurs when the females are in estrus. Sea otter, (Enhydra lutris), rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. 2. Their fur is the densest of any animal with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter. Sea otters often float at the water's surface in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed, and entangle themselves to keep from moving in the rolling sea. Kelp forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and a healthy forest can absorb as much as 12 times the amount of CO2 from the atmosphere than if it were subject to sea urchin predation. Sea otters are a keystone species and play a critical role in the food web of the kelp forest, so much so that even terrestrial species are influenced by sea otter activity. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (31 and 99 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 – The People’s Choice Award, Namibian fishing laws cut seabird deaths by more than 90%, Tiger guide: species facts, how they hunt and where to see in the wild, Jaguar guide: how to identify, where to see and conservation. In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… Otters have some interesting relatives. Otter is a common name for a carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae. You can unsubscribe at any time. Why do sea otters always a carry a stone with them? There are only a handful of non-primate species known to use tools, including dolphins and octopuses. Upon returning to the surface, they float on their backs, with the rock on the stomachs. 2. Sea otter facts There is one species of sea otter and three subspecies, the California or Southern sea otter is found off the central coast of California, the Northern sea otter is found in the waters off Alaska and Canada, and the common or Asian sea otter is found along coastlines of Japan and Russia. But the sea otter’s habitat is unique, as they only live in shallow coastal waters in the North Pacific ocean. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. 4. Hand-holding keeps the otters … Other than natural predators, threats to sea otters include pollution, diseases, parasites, entanglement in marine debris, and boat strikes. Sea otters have been found to play a pivotal role in the habitat and marine life that inhabit a kelp forest. Sea otters can spend their entire life in water. They prey on sea urchins that feed on kelp. Populations in Canada and California are now doing well. And very impressive it is, too – they can even do it with their eyes closed. Sea otters in the U.S. today are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Peter Burka / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0. They're hungry animals! Even a baby sea otter can stay warm on the open ocean, but they do need some help from their mothers. This thick fur keeps the animals warm ​but unfortunately has led to over-hunting by humans of many of these mustelid species. On a river it is vital to check for signs during winter when the vegetation has died back. Thirteen different species exist around the globe. There are 13 species of otter found all around the world. Sea Otter Facts & Information Sea otters are members of the weasel family (Mustelidae). Many are mostly solitary apart from the breeding season, whereas others live in groups all year round. Sea Otter Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. It ranges from 250,000 to a million hairs per square inch, according to the Defenders of Wildlife. However, fur is an inflexible insulation, so, when necessary, sea otters cool off by flapping their nearly-hairless rear flippers. For one of the smallest marine mammals on Earth (yet the largest member of the weasel family), the sea otter has racked up quite a few superlatives: 1. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. You can learn all about them here – Otters of the World. Some of these animals have hard shells, which protect them from predators. Female sea otters become sexually mature at about 3 or 4 years of age; males do so at 5 or 6 although most males don't establish a territory until they are 7 or 8. By entering your details, you are agreeing to Discover Wildlife terms and conditions and privacy policy. Many otters eat tough food, particularly sea otters that inhabit the shallow coastal waters of the northern Pacific. Otters are adorable creatures that live both on land and in the water. Because they are not exposed to predators, and do not have to forage for prey, they are provided with environmental enrichment in their habitat to keep them entertained. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. Sea otters are a medium-sized member of the Mustelidae family. More surprisingly, sea otters are quite slow swimmers, although they are extremely agile. Some of them are quite common and easy to see in the right places, but others are extremely rare and very difficult to find. They typically use a rock as an anvil and repeatedly bash their prey against it until the shell cracks open, then extract the meat from the shell with their canines. FactsKing.com / Animal Facts / 8 Top Predators of Sea Otters that Eat Sea Otter Sea otters are sea mammals native to the eastern and northern parts of the North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters eat 25% of their body weight in food every day. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. 1. Otters are expert hunters. You're now subscribed to our newsletter. Temperature balance is a significant challenge for sea otters, who lack the blubber of other marine mammals such as seals and walruses. The animal’s enamel contains additional layers of a protein-rich gel that works to prevent cracks from spreading. Sea otters are social, and hang out together in groups called rafts. When on water, these groups are called rafts, and the largest … Adults weigh up to 99 pounds and are the weasel family’s heaviest animals, but strangely the smallest of all marine mammals. In environments where sea otter populations have been reintroduced, tall kelp forests are flourishing. They will use rocks to open food like clams, sea urchins and crabs. The energy demands of a sea otter mother increases by 17 per cent after giving birth. They have long whiskers, small ear flaps, and two small black eyes. Under their arms, Sea otters have built in pockets. Their forefeet are small and dexterous with retractile claws and the flipper-like hind feet are broad and webbed. You can see why only 50 per cent of youngsters survive to see the spring. And going by a plethora of YouTube videos, we can now add juggling rocks to the list. Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. The species has no seasonal fur variation, so expends far more heat and energy swimming and diving in colder waters despite its dense, double-layered coat. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. Sea otters use rocks to remove prey from their shells. In a kelp forest, sea urchins can graze on the kelp and eat their holdfasts, resulting in deforesting the … Sea Otter Facts California’s southern sea otter has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. They prey on crustaceans by using pairs of rocks to crush the outer shells, easily accessing the soft flesh inside. Most females have only one pup at a time. There are 13 species in total, ranging from the small-clawed otter to the giant otter. The sea otters once roamed across large swaths of their Pacific territory, but because their fur is highly desired, they were hunted to the brink of extinction. What’s more, these coastal otters live their lives according to the tides, while river otters are usually most active at night. SeaOtters.com is dedicated to raising awareness about California’s threatened sea otters and inspiring the public to view wildlife responsibly. Only adult males establish territories, which they patrol during mating season to keep out other adult males. The most gregarious by far are sea otters, which are polygynous (males mate with multiple females). The mother will produce milk, hunt and teach the pup how to dive for food until the youngster is five to eight months old and can fend for itself. It is made up of a waterproof top layer and a short underlayer, which can contain as many as one million hairs per square inch. 3. The sea otter can usually be found in kelp beds, and looks very much like lumps of kelp. Check out this amazing video of incredibly cute otters using rocks to break open their food: Sea otters have many ways of tugging on our heartstrings. To swim faster they use their webbed feet for propulsion and undulate their bodies. Sea otters dive to rocky reefs, where they collect invertebrates and also a large rock. Winter brings many other dangers to otters. Because they are dependent on their fur for warmth, sea otters are heavily affected by oil spills. Yet, sea otters do possess the fine, dense fur coats characteristic of the Mustelidae. Sea otters give birth in water. Warm air trapped in a sea otter’s fur keeps them warm in chilly waters.When otters dive, they seal their ears and nose.The word otter comes from Old English and Indo European root words that were also used to create the English word for water.Otters have the densest fur in the world. Their teeth are strong enough to crunch open a clam shell or bite through a sea urchin's spines. The infamous Exxon Valdez spill killed at least several hundred sea otters and affected the sea otter population in Prince William Sound for well over a decade, according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. They have furry bodies, whiskered faces, and a propensity to lay on their backs and float on the water, a behavior that humans perceive as evidence of fun-loving. Sea otters are the smallest fully marine mammal in the world: Males range in length between 3.9–4.9 feet, while females range between 3.3–4.6 feet. 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