A newborn pup needs constant attention and will stay with its mother for six months until it develops survival skills. Sea otters can have a pup any time of the year. Southern sea otters breed and pup year-round, while northern sea otter pups in Alaska are usually born in the spring. This traps air and heat next to their skin.Ī sea otter grooms itself to stay warm. To keep warm, sea otters spend a large portion of their days grooming and conditioning their fur. Instead, they depend on their dense, water-resistant fur to provide insulation. Unlike most other marine mammals, otters lack a blubber layer. Sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal. Their fur contains between 600,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles per square inch.
Photo by David Ledig, Bureau of Land Management.Ħ. This sea otter decided on the all you can eat crab legs for its evening meal.
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.
#Call of the sea length crack
Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight in food every day. Sea otters’ diets include sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they’re known to crack open with a rock and eat while floating in the water. 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.Ī rescued sea otter pup is taken to Alaska SeaLife Center to be treated. and international law protects threatened sea otters. Hunted to the edge of extinction by fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries, the few remaining sea otters (about 2,000 scattered in remnant colonies throughout the North Pacific rim) were first protected by the International Fur Seal Treaty in 1911. Southern sea otters range along the mainland coastline of California from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County, and San Nicolas Island.Īin’t no party like a sea otter party! A group of otters stay together for mutual protection from predators in the waters around Moss Landing, California. Many live in the waters surrounding public lands including Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Glacier Bay National Park. Approximately 90 percent of the world’s sea otters live in coastal Alaska. Photo by Bob Winfree, National Park Service.ģ. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family, yet the smallest marine mammal in North America.Ī sea otter snoozes on its back - showing its hind legs, tail and webbed feet, which make otters great swimmers. Otters have some interesting relatives. Otters are part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family of carnivorous mammals that includes skunks, weasels, wolverines, and badgers.
#Call of the sea length Patch
If this southern sea otter looks comfy, that’s because it’s settling down to rest in a small patch of Egregia (feather boa kelp) at Moss Landing in California.
Sea otters weigh more - around 45-90 pounds - with large, furry faces.
River otters are much smaller - averaging 10-30 pounds - with a cylindrical body and small head. is home to two species: the sea otter and the North American river otter. Forget everything you thought you knew about otter species. Thirteen different species exist around the globe. We promise that you’ll be otterly entertained!ġ. Get ready for some awesome otter facts and photos. 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. Their charming features are unparalleled, from their expressions to their use of tools. Otters are some of the most adorable aquatic animals.
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