2. Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. Even a baby sea otter can stay warm on the open ocean, but they do need some help from their mothers. Sea otters have been found to play a pivotal role in the habitat and marine life that inhabit a kelp forest. Sea otters are provided a varied diet while in human care. Kelp provides shelter for sea otters and their pups and a variety of other marine organisms. 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. 1. There are 13 species in total, ranging from the small-clawed otter to the giant otter. They're hungry animals! The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. 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. 90% of all sea otters live on the coast of Alaska. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. These include spraint sites on exposed roots and stones, worn slides on muddy banks and tracks showing five webbed toes. 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. A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. 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. There are 13 species of otter found all around the world. As a result, kelp abundance decreases and other marine species have less habitat. The large hind feet are broad and flipperlike. 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. Mating is polygynous—one male breeds with all the females in its breeding territory. As predators that are near the top of the food chain, otters are hugely important for keeping their environments balanced. Their forefeet are small and dexterous with retractile claws and the flipper-like hind feet are broad and webbed. Sea otters can spend their entire life in water. Otters are expert hunters. Winter brings many challenges for Eurasian otters. Research has shown that sea otters are vital to the health of carbon-absorbing kelp forests. Sea otters are social, and hang out together in groups called rafts. The sea otter can usually be found in kelp beds, and looks very much like lumps of kelp. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are an easily recognized and beloved marine mammal. You can learn all about them here – Otters of the World. 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. To swim faster they use their webbed feet for propulsion and undulate their bodies. SeaOtters.com is dedicated to raising awareness about California’s threatened sea otters and inspiring the public to view wildlife responsibly. Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Otters are adorable creatures that live both on land and in the water. Sea otters have a baggy patch of skin under their forelimbs which is used for storage. 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. They are known to eat clams, mussels, crabs, octopus, sea urchins, snails, and fat innkeeper worms. When oil coats a sea otter's fur, air can't get through and the sea otter can't clean it out. They prey on sea urchins that feed on kelp. Their sleek, streamlined bodies are perfect for diving and swimming. They have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. Sea otter rafts are segregated: Groups of between two and 1,000 otters are either all males or females and their young. While mothers and pups are usually solitary, sea otters can form social groups of up to a few dozen. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. 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. Some of these animals have hard shells, which protect them from predators. 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. The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. When sea otter populations are healthy, urchin populations are kept in check, and kelp is abundant. 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