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. Unlike most other marine mammals, the sea otter has no blubber and relies on its exceptionally thick fur to keep warm. Our significant Otters: 10 fascinating facts about the Sea Otter, Orcas on the Edge: A quest to film the critically endangered southern residents. In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. Sea otters inhabit temperate coastal waters with rocky or soft sediment ocean bottom. Cute! The biological name is Lontra Canadensis. Photo source: Wikipedia. Here are five interesting facts about them: These beautiful animals are the smallest marine mammals in the world, measuring just 148 cm long. Otters have as many as 2.6 million hairs per square inch. The others use it as a powerful weapon and to navigate their movements in the water. The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. For rapid swimming and for diving, they swim similarly to other otters, using up-and-down undulations of the body. Sea otters don't just have the densest fur of all otters — they have the densest fur of all animals. 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. They like to eat sea urchins, clams, mussels and crabs. 9. Learning Colors! 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). With up to 150,000 strands of hair per square centimetre (nearly one million per square inch), its fur is the densest of any animal. 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. Asher Collins is a student and author based in the UK. The tail comprises less than a third of the body length and is slightly flattened, and muscular; the large hind feet are broad and flipperlike. Archaeological evidence indicates that for thousands of years, indigenous peoples have hunted sea otters for food and fur. 9. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. 90% of all sea otters live on the coast of Alaska. The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammal species, but it is the heaviest member of the weasel family. People also call it North American river otter. 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). Facts about River Otters talk about an animal, which can be found on the coasts or waterways of North America. Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. Along the Pacific coast, sea otters help control the sea urchin population. Sea otters can do well in captivity, and are featured in over 40 public aquariums and zoos. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. They use their sea whiskers to find small creatures to eat, and their paws to dig for clams. 5 There’s no denying that sea otters rank right alongside baby sea turtles and tiny clownfish as some of the cutest ocean inhabitants. By. Rahimah Rashith - 26 Oct 2015, 11:48 am. Sea otters mainly live in river basins. It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Fact 2 Except for the sea otter, the majority of otters spend time mainly on land. Of the 13 species, only the sea otter gives birth in water. But the sea otter’s habitat is unique, as they only live in shallow coastal waters in the North Pacific ocean. Sea otters, whose numbers were once estimated at 150,000 to 300,000, were hunted extensively for their beautiful fur between 1741 and 1911, and the world population fell to 1,000 to 2,000 individuals living in a fraction of their historic range. In honour of the 12th annual Sea Otter Awareness Week September 21 through 27, we thought we would share some fun facts about these cute, curious creatures. Zoroastrians would also hold ceremonies for otters found dead in the wild. Sea otters are commonly spotted on WWF’s Alaska tours. 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. Here are 5 fun & easy to remember facts about sea otters. Most marine mammals rely on a layer of blubber to keep them warm, but sea otters don’t have any. They are one of the few animals that use tools! That was pretty interesting so Buzzfeed, (Apr 14) had also found out that sea otters use rocks to get their prey out like shellfish.Ok that was awesome, right? The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. Save my name, e-mail, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 3. 2. That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. Your e-mail address will not be published. Share: Facebook Twitter Google Plus. In the wild, sea otters live to a maximum age of 23 years, with average lifespans of 10–15 years for males and 15–20 years for females. He also writes for Farsight Conservation. Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. OTTER FACTS FOR KIDS! That’s because, unlike its fellow marine … Mothers have been observed to lick and fluff a newborn for hours; after grooming, the pup’s fur retains so much air, the pup floats like a cork and cannot dive. Sea otters are the only marine mammal on the planet that has no blubber. River otters eat mostly frogs, crabs, crayfish, fish and mollusks. 2. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A group of sea otters is called a raft. Research has shown that sea otters are vital to the health of carbon-absorbing kelp forests. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. Fact2: Weighing between 30 and 100 pounds, the sea otter is the world’s smallest species of marine mammal. The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. Sea Otters have the densest hair in the world, with up to 140,000 hair per square centimetre. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. 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. Their beautiful fur is a main target for many hunters. Male Otters are called boars, females are sows, and the offspring are pups. Sea otters are carnivores in the family Mustelidae—a group of animals that also includes terrestrial and semi-aquatic forms such as weasels, badgers, skunks, fishers, minks, and river otters. The sea otter is classified as an endangered species. 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. Their beautiful fur is a main target for many hunters. Without blubber for insulation against the freezing waters they inhabit sea otters rely on incredibly dense fur to keep themselves warm. They move by paddling their hind limbs and sculling with their tails. 10) Although sea otters hunt for food alone, they tend to rest and sleep in same-sex groups called rafts. Sea otters are very social animals that can live in groups made up of hundreds of individuals. Wildlife Articles © 2019. 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. Not only do they hold each other’s paws when resting but they may also wrap themselves in that kelp or seaweed to keep themselves safe. Fun Facts about Sea Otter! Last modified 28th April 2017, Your e-mail address will not be published. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Scientists Across The Globe Create A ‘Roadmap to Recovery’ to Reverse The Insect Apocalypse, Last Chance To Save Madagascar’s Unique Wildlife. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. Some are small river otters, and some are bigger sea otters. All Rights Reserved. Rather fittingly, these groups of sea otters are called rafts. By: Brianna Elliott. They usually weigh between 7 to 31 pounds (3 – 14 kg). Pups are carried on the female’s chest as she swims belly up. On land, young sea otters may face attack from bears and coyotes. North American Sea Otter is also more slender than other otter breeds. Sea otters have built in pouches of loose skin under their forearms to stash extra prey when diving. In Honor of Sea Otter Awareness Week, Ten Fun Facts about Sea Otters . This coat has two types of fur in it; underfur and guard hair. 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. No sea otters, no kelp forests. 7 FUN FACTS ABOUT OTTERS! Funny! 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. 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. “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 … In environments where sea otter populations … Photo of the day: black and white puffins, Grass snake sighting – fantastic video of a snakelet, Photo of the day: Osprey a magnificent hunter. 4. Sea otters eat clams, mollusks, crabs, snails, starfish, abalone, and many other marine animals (overall about 100 species) . Otters are an essential keystone species. Sea otters communicate through body contact and vocalizations, although they are not overly vocal. He writes about conservation because he thinks vultures are underrated, pistol shrimps are actually quite interesting, and the world could do with a few more Kakapos. While Buzzfeed, (Apr 14) had found out that the number one reason that sea otters are dying is because of oil spills! Other Fun Facts. A raft typically contains 10 to 100 animals, with male rafts being larger than female ones. A raft typically contains 10 to 100 animals, with male rafts being larger than female ones. Topics: Responsible Fishing. Its fur is the densest of any animal on Earth—an estimated 1 million hairs per square inch. 8. 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. Cuteness! A raft may have only ten sea otters but may also be a group of up to a thousand! The females are called queens and the offspring are referred to as pups. Otters are carnivores, which means they eat meat. Almost all otters have webbed feet, some more webbed than others, and they can close off their ears and nose as they swim underwater. 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. Here are five fun facts you otter know: Sea otters have the densest fur in the animal kingdom, with up to one million hairs per square inch of their body! They prey on sea urchins that feed on kelp. The coloration of the pelage is usually deep brown with silver-gray speckles, but it can range from yellowish or grayish brown to almost black. Most sea otters hunt and eat by themselves but then stay together in this group or raft when resting. The Sea Otter is the only species that have a shorter and less muscular tail. 10 Facts About Otters You Should Know Instead Of Trying To Hook Them. Sea otters eat sea urchins & other invertebrates that graze on giant kelp. Required fields are marked *. They generally reside in places where the water is warm and the land is sandy. OTTERS HAVE VERY DISTINCTIVE POOP, AND THAT SCAT HAS ITS OWN NAME. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. According to Buzzfeed, (Apr 14) the first sea otter was found in 1751. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. 8. Sea otters spend a great deal of time floating on their backs at the surface. Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! Sea otters have incredibly dense fur, with up to 150,000 hair follicles per square centimeter. In adults, the head, throat, and chest are lighter in color than the rest of the body. Otters spend the majority of their time on land but many people assume that they spend it in the water. Sea otters use rocks to crack open shellfish and clams to eat. Females tend to stay away from males except when mating. 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