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. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. If you do see a sea otter on shore, watch from a distance and avoid disturbing its rest. 7. Sea otters don't just have the densest fur of all otters — they have the densest fur of all animals. The food sea otters eat can impact the entire ecosystem in which they live. 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. Once at the surface, they often eat by placing the food on their stomachs, and then placing a rock on their stomachs and then smashing the prey on the rock to open it and get at the flesh inside. Thirteen different species of otter exist all around the world. Active Wild Pinterest Active Wild Facebook. 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. Pictures & Facts On The Iconic Animals Of North America, With FREE Printable Worksheet, Best North American Wildlife Field Guides: Recommended Books On The Wildlife Of North America, Christmas Animals: Animals Associated With Christmas From All Around The World. 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. Fewer sea urchins in turn help prevent kelp forests from being overgrazed. Sea otters are social animals and raft together in groups of a few dozen to hundreds of animals. 2. It’s also home to the largest concentration of southern sea otters along the California coast. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. They float like corks on top of the water unable to dive and therefore, are completely dependent on the mother sea otter. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. A raft is usually comprised of single-sex sea otters that can range from 10 to a hundred individuals. 90% of all sea otters live on the coast of Alaska. Instead they depend on their dense, water-resistant fur to provide insulation. Oct 24, 2018 - Explore Kristen Marie's board "Otter Facts", followed by 103 people on Pinterest. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. Sea otters in the United States received additional protections with the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s. In a kelp forest, sea urchins can graze on the kelp and eat their holdfasts, resulting in deforesting the … They will hang on to a dead otter and continue to rape its corpse. To keep warm, sea otters spend a large portion of their days grooming and conditioning their fur. Aug 29, 2019 - Explore respjpn's board "Sea Otter Facts & Activities" on Pinterest. Weight of otter depends on their breed. Though sea otters spend most of their lives at sea, they occasionally haul out on shore. Otters are an essential keystone species. Fun Facts. Physical Description. Baby otters, called pups or kittens, stay with their mothers until they’re up to a year old, or until she has another litter. Description. National Geographic: North American River Otter 3. We promise that you’ll be otterly entertained! Southern sea otters range along the mainland coastline of California from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County, and San Nicolas Island. Pups stay with their mothers for the first 8 months of life. Otters have some interesting relatives. Warm air trapped in a sea otter’s fur keeps them warm in chilly waters. In their adult stages of life, Sea Otters will weigh from 7 to 31 pounds. Otters can be found in unpolluted waters all over the world in marshland, freshwater rivers, lakes, oceans and coastlines. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. Sea Otter Facts: Habitat: Northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Historically, Sea otters could be found from Japan, along the coast of Siberia, down through Alaska, British Columbia and the eastern North American coast. Sea Otters that are found in river settings tend to have slender, serpentine bodi… 4. Floating on its back, it opens mollusks by smashing them on a stone balanced on its chest. Some are small river otters, and some are bigger sea otters. In fact, by the 1920s, the sea otter was at the brink of extinction — it was even thought to be extinct for a time. If otters fascinate you, below are some interesting otter facts. Sea otters feast upon molluscs such as clams and mussels collected from dives to the sea floor. They hunt for food both in the water such as fish and then also land creatures including small reptiles. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. An otter is one of the few species that use tools. A group of resting otters is called a raft. They can have over 1,000,000 hairs per square inch on their bodies! Most sea otter activities are carried out at the surface, but foraging occurs on the sea floor. Sea otter pup fur is known as a lanugo. Sea otters catch the same shellfish, sea urchins, crabs, clams, and abalone, that indigenous peoples in Alaska and Canada need to eat. The U.S. is home to two species: the sea otter and the North American river otter. 11. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. Like polar bears in the Arctic, sea otters are considered keystone species in their ecosystems, because they affect... 2. This page contains sea otter facts and information, and is part of our Arctic Animals series. Fun Facts for Kids. To find food, sea otters may occasionally dive as deep as 250 feet and will use their sensitive whiskers to locate small prey inside crevices or their strong forepaws to dig for clams. The nostrils and ears of sea otters close in the water. See “Sea Otter photo” and read interesting facts about sea otters and their special role in the marine ecosystem. See more ideas about Sea otter, Otters, Otter love. Floating Behavior Sea otters often float at the water's surface, lying on their backs in a posture of serene repose. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. Today, the population stands at 100 – 150,000 animals, but the IUCN Red List still categorizes sea otters as endangered. See more ideas about otter love, otters, sea otter. The two … Otters are some of the most adorable aquatic animals. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. They're hungry animals! 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. The fur is responsible for insulating them and keeping them warm because they do not have a layer of blubber to keep them warm and protect them from the outside environment. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. National Geographic: Sea Otter 2. Sea otters are part of the weasel family. Sea otters can often be observed floating on their backs on the surface looking very relaxed and chilled out. The semi-aquatic creatures known as Sea otters may grow to between 34 and 60 inches in length, though it is very rare to find a Sea Otter surpassing 50 inches. They are often mistaken for beavers though. Sea otters can hold their breather underwater for more than 5 minutes, and river otters can hold theirs for more than 8! On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. Forget everything you thought you knew about otter species. Otters have as many as 2.6 million hairs per square inch. 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. 4. Sea otters have been known to stay submerged for more than 5 minutes at a time. Sea otters are the heaviest of the 13 otter species (giant otters are the longest). 3. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. Lifespan: 10-15 years on average, but some have lived to be 20. (It’s completely free, you can unsubscribe at any time, and we’ll never share your details.). Sea otters use rocks to remove prey from their shells. To keep from drifting away from each other, sea otters will wrap themselves up in seaweed, forming something that resembles a raft. 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. Sea Otters can live their entire lives at sea, though they are … 10. They have long whiskers, small ear flaps, and two small black eyes. They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. Interesting Facts About the Sea Otter. Get ready for some awesome otter facts and photos. If you want to help sea otters, you can get in touch with charities such as Friends of the Sea Otter. 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