They live in riparian zones, often in the same areas as beavers. Description . Sea otters can sometimes be seen off sandy beaches — and even local harbors. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family and the smallest marine mammal. Within Alaska, there are 3 stocks. Sea otters are carnivores in the family Mustelidae—a group of animals that also includes terrestrial and semi-aquatic forms such as weasels, badgers, skunks, fishers, minks, and river otters.Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Their aquatic habitats can be both marine and fresh … North American river otters were hunted and trapped extensively for their fur in the 19th and 20th centuries, and are still hunted in some places. Otters have broad flattened heads and prominent whiskers. Sea otters use rocks to crack open their prey as fast as 45 blows in 15 seconds. 7. Adult males reach an average length of 4.5 feet (1.4 m) with a typical weight between 50 and 100 lbs (23 to 45 kg), while adult females reach an average length of 4 feet (1.2 m) and typically weigh 45 lbs (20 kg). Males weigh 22-45 kg and are 1.2-1.5 m in length. A sea otter rests on its back with its head, arms and flippers in the air, and looks like two lumps close together. 6. Ninety percent of the world’s sea otters live in Alaska’s coastal waters. 1. 5. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the northern river otter or common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent found in and along its waterways and coasts. Conservation. The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects sea otters. The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals, but one of the largest members of the family Mustelidae, a group that includes skunks and weasels among others. The longest recorded sea otter dive was 4 minutes, 2 and the deepest recorded sea otter dive was 318 feet (97 m) deep. River otters generally live alone or in small social groups. They have webbed feet equipped with claws. Their bodies are long and streamlined and their legs short. Ninety percent of the world’s sea otters live in coastal Alaska. The Southeast stock can be found in the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. Females are slightly smaller, weighing 14-33 kg and measuring 1-1.4 m in length. Their tails are furred and muscular, broad at the base and narrow towards the tip. The tail comprises less than a third of the body length. It prohibits commercial harvest of sea otters, and allows Alaska natives to hunt sea otters for subsistence and creation of handicrafts. The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. 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: 10. Sea otters, Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758), are the largest member of the Family Mustelidae (70 species of river otters, skunks, weasels, badgers, etc.) An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). The sea otter can usually be found in kelp beds, and looks very much like lumps of kelp. and are the smallest marine mammal in North America. Sea otters have the densest hair coat of any mammal, with 800,000 to one million hairs per square inch. In order to maintain its body weight, a sea otter must eat 25% of its body weight per day. The northern sea otter subspecies (E. lutris kenyoni), is found in the Aleutian Islands, Southern Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. Northern River Otters are aquatic members of the weasel family that live in Connecticut. 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