Sea otters mainly live in river basins. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. River otters eat mostly frogs, crabs, crayfish, fish and mollusks. Otters are carnivores, which means they eat meat. Today I want to write about one of the most fascinating animals in the world, the sea otter. It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Their frequent appearance also means more … Photo source: Wikipedia. Sea otters eat a wide range of marine animals, including mussels, clams, urchins, abalone, crabs, snails and about 40 other marine species, equaling approximately 25 percent of their weight in food each day, according to Defenders of Wildlife. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. 4. Humans have about 300/cm² on their head. Sea otters use rocks to crack open shellfish and clams to eat. 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. By: Brianna Elliott. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. Sea otters are good at floating on the water’s surface, as air trapped in their fur makes them more buoyant. This semiaquatic mammal has the weight of 11 to 30.9 lb or 5 to 14 kilograms. A group of sea otters is called a raft. The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammal species, but it is the heaviest member of the weasel family. Your e-mail address will not be published. Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. “Male sea otters typically grasp the female from behind and bite her face, and this rough behavior was associated with the deaths of about 11 percent of dead sea otters … They prey on sea urchins that feed on kelp. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. They like to eat sea urchins, clams, mussels and crabs. Fact 1 Male otters are generally known as meowters. Sea otters have awesome facts about them. With a relatively large lung capacity for it’s size, a sea otter can hold its breath for 5 minutes, but most dives are two minutes or less in duration. 3. Following are a few other interesting facts you might not know about sea otters: 1) Sea otters are of the smallest marine mammals that are native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Along the Pacific coast, sea otters help control the sea urchin population. Photo of the day: black and white puffins, Grass snake sighting – fantastic video of a snakelet, Photo of the day: Osprey a magnificent hunter. Females tend to stay away from males except when mating. When resting or sleeping, sea otters float on their back and wrap themselves in kelp to keep from drifting. Male Otters are called boars, females are sows, and the offspring are pups. Sea otters are very social animals that can live in groups made up of hundreds of individuals. That’s because, unlike its fellow marine … Singapore is hooked on cute otters Otters have become a common sight in garden city Singapore, with a family otters seen casually taking strolls at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, Toa Payoh, and even in St Andrew’s Junior College. Sea otters have the densest fur in the animal kingdom – with up to a million hairs per … On land, young sea otters may face attack from bears and coyotes. They generally reside in places where the water is warm and the land is sandy. Sea otters don't just have the densest fur of all otters — they have the densest fur of all animals. But the sea otter’s habitat is unique, as they only live in shallow coastal waters in the North Pacific ocean. They use their sea whiskers to find small creatures to eat, and their paws to dig for clams. In adults, the head, throat, and chest are lighter in color than the rest of the body. Cute! Here are five interesting facts about them: These beautiful animals are the smallest marine mammals in the world, measuring just 148 cm long. The sea otter is classified as an endangered species. 2. Their beautiful fur is a main target for many hunters. 10) Although sea otters hunt for food alone, they tend to rest and sleep in same-sex groups called rafts. Ten fun facts about Otters. In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… 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. People also call it North American river otter. What Thick Fur You Have . Without blubber for insulation against the freezing waters they inhabit sea otters rely on incredibly dense fur to keep themselves warm. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. While river otters mostly live off fish, crayfish and crabs, sea otters have a more interesting method of sustaining themselves. The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammal species, but it is the heaviest member of the weasel family. In Honor of Sea Otter Awareness Week, Ten Fun Facts about Sea Otters . Almost all otters have webbed feet, some more webbed than others, and they can close off their ears and nose as they swim underwater. Last modified 28th April 2017, Your e-mail address will not be published. We’ll be celebrating these amazing animals all fall with special sea otter programming at the Aquarium and a sea otter themed scavenger hunt! Average life span in the wild is up to 12 years except for sea otter who can live up to 20 years. The others use it as a powerful weapon and to navigate their movements in the water. They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. No sea otters, no kelp forests. Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! Required fields are marked *. Share: Facebook Twitter Google Plus. Topics: Responsible Fishing. For rapid swimming and for diving, they swim similarly to other otters, using up-and-down undulations of the body. Wildlife Articles © 2019. Sea otters can reach speeds of 1.5 km/h (0.9 mph) on the surface and 9 km/h (5.6 mph) while diving. Fact1: Sea otters have incredibly fast metabolisms; a 60-pound adult sea otter eats at least 15 pounds of food (25% of its body weight) each and every day. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. 3. They're hungry animals! Sea otters are from 1 to 1.5 meters (3.3 to 4.9 feet) in length and typically weigh between 14 and 45 kilograms (31 and 99 lb). The biological name is Lontra Canadensis. A raft typically contains 10 to 100 animals, with male rafts being larger than female ones. Floating on its back, it opens mollusks and other shells by smashing them on a stone balanced on its chest; it is one of the few mammal species to use tools. Unlike most other marine mammals, the sea otter has no blubber and relies on its exceptionally thick fur to keep warm. Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. Nowadays, sea otters are beloved due to their appearance and charismatic personalities. Different species of otters have different gestation periods: Typically, the smaller otters carry their young for two months, while bigger ones like the sea otters have a gestation period of five months. Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal. Sea otters inhabit temperate coastal waters with rocky or soft sediment ocean bottom. That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. 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