Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are an easily recognized and beloved marine mammal. The nostrils and ears of sea otters close in the water. It is 40–65 inches (100–160 cm) long and weighs All Rights Reserved. On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. Here are some interesting sea otter related facts for you. The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. They have long whiskers, small ear flaps, and two small black eyes. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Baby otters, called pups or kittens, stay with their mothers until they’re up to a year old, or until she has another litter. See more ideas about Sea otter, Otters, Otter love. Otters are part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family of carnivorous mammals that includes skunks, weasels, wolverines and badgers. Sea otters are vulnerable to oil spills which can drastically impact the insulating power of their fur, and destruction of kelp forests which are key foraging grounds. There are generally two populations considered geographically separate subspecies, the Alaskan and California Sea Otters. A newborn pup needs constant attention and will stay with its mother for six months until it develops survival skills. In a kelp forest, sea urchins can graze on the kelp and eat their holdfasts, resulting in deforesting the … In their adult stages of life, Sea Otters will weigh from 7 to 31 pounds. They are native to the northern coastlines of the Pacific Ocean, from northern Japan to Baja, Mexico. Researchers have seen concentrations of over 1,000 otters floating together. They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. Whether on its back or its front, the "Endangered" Sea otter is a proficient swimmer, and a classic family attraction in aquariums and in the wild alike. In California, research has found that sea otters also enhance seagrass beds, and in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, sea otters’ expansion into the area marked a gradual return of a more diverse ecosystem and an exciting moment in colonization efforts. Get ready for some awesome otter facts and photos. Click the picture above for more details & to view free sample pages! A sea otter relies on its fur to keep warm because it doesn't have an insulating layer of blubber as other marine mammals do. North American Sea Otter is also more slender than other otter breeds. Sea otters can have a pup any time of the year. Groups of adult males and females will occasionally cross paths throughout the year based on food availability and mating cycles. Otters love to rest in groups. National Geographic: North American River Otter 3. However, it is only once they were hunted nearly to extinction that we came to realize their value alive as a keystone species rather than a fur pelt. When otters dive, they seal their ears and nose. Like polar bears in the Arctic, sea otters are considered keystone species in their ecosystems, because they affect... 2. Sea otters have no insulating fat, but trap air under their coasts as insulation. Otters are part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family of carnivorous mammals that includes skunks, weasels, wolverines and badgers. Sea Otter Facts California’s southern sea otter has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. Some are small river otters, and some are bigger sea otters. The sea otter has long whiskers and water-repellent coat that insulates the animal from freezing water. Here are some surprising yet cute facts about them. Lifespan: 10-15 years on average, but some have lived to be 20. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. Sea otters can spend their entire life in water. Join the thousands of Active Wild subscribers who receive free wildlife and science news & info direct to their inboxes! 3. The U.S. is home to two species: the sea otter and the North American river otter. The largest of this weasel family, sea otters weigh 31-100 lb (14-45 kg). Sea otters are born swimmers with long, sleek, streamlined bodies with webbed feet. This ancient religion considered otters to be the dogs of the river or sea and had strict rules forbidding the killing of otters. Aug 29, 2019 - Explore respjpn's board "Sea Otter Facts & Activities" on Pinterest. What Thick Fur You Have . 2. Mountain Gorilla Facts, Pictures & Information, Jurassic Dinosaurs List: Discover The Dinosaurs That Lived In The Jurassic Period, Animals That Start With X: List With Pictures & Facts, Wild Dog Species List: All Types Of Wild Dogs, With Pictures & Information, Porcupine Facts: Species, Where Found, Diet, Predators, Lifestyle & More…, Freshwater Biome Facts. Sea otters are generalist predators that consume over 200 species across a spectrum of rocky and soft substrates. They hunt for food both in the water such as fish and then also land creatures including small reptiles. River otters are much smaller -- averaging 10-30 pounds -- with a cylindrical body and small head. 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. Active Wild Pinterest Active Wild Facebook. Sea otters eat up to 30% of their body weight in food per day to support their high metabolic rate. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. Otters are adorable creatures that live both on land and in the water. Sea otters have several adaptations that allow them to live in a marine environment. Forget everything you thought you knew about otter species. Currently there are less than 3,000 Sea Otters in California, between 65,000 and 78 ,000 in Washington, Canada, and Alaska combined. Sea otters weigh more -- around 45-90 pounds -- with large, furry faces. Under their arms, Sea otters have built in pockets. Other facts. 2. They will use rocks to open food like clams, sea urchins and crabs. We promise that you’ll be otterly entertained! 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. Copyright © 2021 ActiveWild.com. They are also preyed upon in the wild by sharks, bears, eagles and killer whales. They can have over 1,000,000 hairs per square inch on their bodies! The sea otter's dark brown fur is the finest and densest of any animal fur. 1. Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. 5. News and facts about animals, natural history and science. 12. They are often mistaken for beavers though. Sea otters are carnivores in the family Mustelidae —a group of animals that also includes terrestrial and... Habitat and Distribution. Discover The World’s Freshwater Habitats, North American Animals List. Sea otters have been known to stay submerged for more than 5 minutes at a time. Their bodies are insulated by a thick fur coat and not by blubber as in other marine mammals. 7. Along the Pacific coast, sea otters help control the sea urchin population. Sea otters, particularly mothers and pups, sometimes hold hands while floating on their backs. 2. A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. Sea otters are also found along the coastlines of eastern Asia and Russia. Fun Facts for Kids. See “Sea Otter photo” and read interesting facts about sea otters and their special role in the marine ecosystem. The Furriest of Fur Coats – Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal. Sea otters are highly social and can be found floating in ‘rafts’ of 10 to 100 individuals. Weight of otter depends on their breed. 1. This comes in handy when mothers leave their pups safely floating on the water’s surface while they forage for food. Sea Otter Facts for Kids. Their fur contains between 600,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles per square inch. The smallest marine mammal, sea otters can be as long as 4 feet (1.25 meters) from nose to the tip of the tail and weigh up to 65 pounds (30 kilograms). The food sea otters eat can impact the entire ecosystem in which they live. Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. 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. Sea Otters that are found in river settings tend to have slender, serpentine bodi… Sea otter facts. Sea otters can live up to 23 years in the wild. Otters have as many as 2.6 million hairs per square inch. Approximately 90 percent of the world’s sea otters live in coastal Alaska. The southern sea otter measures up to 4 feet (1.2 m) in length; females weigh up to 50 pounds (23 kg) and males up to 70 pounds (32 kg). This traps air and heat next to their skin. Sea otters use rocks to remove prey from their shells. A “keystone species” is a species that is critical to how an ecosystem functions because it has large-scale effects on the communities in which it lives. Pups stay with their mothers for the first 8 months of life. Currently the southern sea otter population is estimated at just above 3,000 animals. 8. Sea Otter Facts & Information Sea otters are members of the weasel family (Mustelidae). Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal. Description. They like to eat sea … A raft is usually comprised of single-sex sea otters that can range from 10 to a hundred individuals. Fun Facts The sea otter's dark brown fur is the finest and densest of any animal fur. I recently found out that sea otters fall asleep holding paws and my heart has never been so full. 3. See more ideas about sea otter, otters, otter love. Miraculously, in 1938 some 50 sea otters were found off the coast of Big Sur in California — they had managed to survive the extermination. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. Sea otters are one of the only mammals that are been known to use tools to obtain and eat their prey. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals.They live along the Pacific coast of North America.Their historic range included shallow waters of the Bering Strait.It also included Kamchatka, and as far south as Japan.. Sea otters have about 26,000 to 165,000 hairs per square centimeters of skin. Sea otters can five to 250 feet (76 meters) to forage for food. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… Southern sea otters range along the mainland coastline of California from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County, and San Nicolas Island. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. And, the Russian population consists of approximately 15,000 with about a dozen in Japan. Many live in the waters surrounding public lands including Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai Fjords National Park and Glacier Bay National Park. They will hang on to a dead otter and continue to rape its corpse. Sea otters inhabit temperate coastal waters with rocky or soft sediment ocean bottom. Fun Facts about Sea Otter! In maintaining kelp forests, sea otters also help to reduce levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Sea Otter Facts: Animals of the Oceans. Check out this otter-worldly info. They have a loose patch of skin under their armpit to store both the food they’ve foraged and their rock to crack it open. In fact, at 850,000 to one million hairs per square inch, they have the thickest fur of any mammal. 4. Sea otters are incredibly clean and keep their waterproof coats in perfect condition. It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters have several adaptations that allow them to live in a marine environment. FUN FACTS Longest recorded dive : 7 min. Sea otters’ diet includes sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they’re known to crack open with a rock and eat while floating in the water. They have a rich fur for which humans hunted them almost to extinction. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Most sea otters call Alaska home. Usually, a single baby (called a pup) is produced following 4 to 5 months of pregnancy. To keep warm, sea otters spend a large portion of their days grooming and conditioning their fur. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. They usually weigh between 7 to 31 pounds (3 – 14 kg). Instead they depend on their dense, water-resistant fur to provide insulation. Lifespan: 10-15 years on average, but some have lived to be 20. Held every year during the last week in September, Sea Otter Awareness Week spotlights the important role of sea otters in nearshore ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean. Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. Calans belong to the family Cunyi. Weight of otter depends on their breed. Sea otters are social animals and raft together in groups of a few dozen to hundreds of animals. It ranges from 250,000 to a million hairs per square inch, according to the Defenders of Wildlife. Sea otters have 850,000 – 1,000,000 hairs per square inch, the thickest fur or any mammal. This system traps a layer of air next to their skin so their skin does not get wet. Sea otters don’t let death hold them back from going to pound town. Sea otters learn to swim at 4 weeks of age. Sea otter pups are born with a buoyant fur that does not allow them to sink. 4. 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! I’m dead serious. Sea otters have incredibly dense fur, with up to 150,000 hair follicles per square centimeter. So whether you see an otter on land or at sea, be sure to maintain a safe distance of at least 50 yards and never feed sea otters. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. Don’t challenge otters to a breathholding competition. It’s Sea Otter Awareness Week!! If you do see a sea otter on shore, watch from a distance and avoid disturbing its rest. Sea otters are inhabitants of the coastal zone of the Pacific Ocean in Canada, Japan, Russia, the USA, and are among the smallest marine mammals. Sea otters eat 25% of their body weight in food every day. Sea otters can hold their breather underwater for more than 5 minutes, and river otters can hold theirs for more than 8!
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