Sea Otters
Main Information
Sea otters are the second smallest marine mammal, but they are still the heaviest of the weasel family. That is because they have the densest fur in all of the animal kingdom. They can live on water and on land, although they prefer water. Their webbed feet help them travel on land. When they get into the water, their nostrils and ears close so that no water can get into their body. They can also float at the water's surface. Sea otters usually stay in groups. They are the only animals that give birth in water.
Otters in Numbers
All sea otters vary in height and weight depending on their species. The average height for sea otters are about 4 feet. The female otters are around 45 pounds, while the male otters are about 65 pounds. At birth, the baby otters weigh 5 pounds and are around 10 inches in length. The lifespan of an otter is about 10-15 years for male otters and 15-20 years for female otters.
Diet
Sea otters like to eat a lot. They eat approximately 25% of their own weight everyday! They eat sea urchins, abalone, mussels, clams, crabs, snails, crayfish, and about 40 other marine species. Depending on the otter's species, they eat other types of food, including land vegetables, fish, birds, rabbits, and other rodents. The diet of a sea otter is very large since the tend to eat a lot.
Population
The population of sea otters has been decreasing over the years. A long time ago, there were several hundred thousand to a million otters around the world. But due to fur trade in the 1900's, the population went down by 10,000 - 20,000 otters. Around the coast of California, there are about 2,800 southern otters existing. In Alaska and Canada, there are approximately 64,600 northern sea otters. There are about 15,000 otters in Russia. But in Japan, there are less than a dozen otters surviving.
Behavior
Otters like to live in shallow coastal waters. They are the only known mammals to use tools other than primates, birds and a few others. They use small rocks pry shellfish and use he rocks also as hammers to open them. They spend most of their lifetime in water. Sea otters are great divers. They can dive up to 330 feet deep to get their food.
Mating
Sea otters don't have a certain mating season. They mate all throughout the year. Once the otters meet, they produce eggs. They generally give birth to one pup, but twins are occasionally born. The evolution period of an otter is 6-8 months.
Threats
Sea otters suffer to threats caused by humans and natural threats. Some of the most common threats include oil spills, habitat loss, food limitations, diseases, fishing nets, hunting for fur trade, ocean pollution, and predators. These issues cause the population of sea otters to decrease. We can do our part to help save these creatures in many ways. For some great ideas, click here: w