1. Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools. A lanugo is a very soft, downy hair that develops in humans as well as animals. Therefore, sea otters are crucial to maintaining kelp forest levels, which provide cover and food for many marine animals. Sea otters have no blubber so they constantly groom themselves to maintain the insulating & water repellant properties of their fur. Humans have 100,000 pieces in total on their head, while otters have up to one million hairs per square inch. The latest census and stranding information is available at www.werc.usgs.gov/seaottercount. 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. SHARE THE AWESOMENESS. Sea Otter Facts Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal. Sea otter pups are born with a buoyant fur that does not allow them to sink. Before the fur trade of the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters ranged along the North Pacific Rim from Hokkaido, Japan to Baja California, Mexico. Contamination of their fur by oily substances can destroy its insulating properties and lead to hypothermia and death. Reduced range and population size, vulnerability to oil spills, and oil spill risk from coastal tanker traffic were the primary reasons for listing. They eat 40 plus different types of species such as clams, urchins, and snails. Sea Otter: The Animal’s Predator and Prey . Two or more otter species occupying the same geographical area usually have different food habits. A small population of sea otters lives at S… As a result, their energetic requirements are high, and they consume an amount of food equivalent to about 25 percent of their body mass per day. Sea Otters live in the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean in North American and Asia. If sea otters migrate , it is due to the abundance of food in an area and kelp. The Southern sea otter is native to the coast of California. Sea otter pups. After hunting on the seafloor, sea otters return to the surface to eat. 2493 Portola Road, Suite B Sea otters have a profound impact on the coastal habitats which is why they are rightly known as keystone species. In fact, at 850,000 to one million hairs per square inch, they have the thickest fur of any mammal. They can use a rock to dislodge mollusks and urchins from the rocks where they are attached. Tune into our LIVE Sea Otter Cam for your daily dose of sea otter cuteness. If you have any questions regarding the southern sea otter, please contact: Lilian Carswell - Southern Sea Otter Recovery & Marine Conservation Coordinator, By mail: This range decreased significantly during the fur trade during the 18th and 19th centuries, with excessive hunting nearly driving the species into extinction by the early 1900s. A Sea Otter's Diet Sea otters eat a wide variety of prey, including marine invertebrates such as echinoderms (sea stars and sea urchins), crustaceans (e.g., crabs), cephalopods (e.g., squid), bivalves (clams, mussels, abalone), gastropods (snails), and chitons. Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis), also known as California sea otters, were listed as threatened in 1977 under the Endangered Species Act. Sea otters eat about 25% of their weight every day, and is arguably the number one cause in sea otter deaths, when they cannot forage enough food to feed themselves. California Sea Otters live among the protected shallow coastal waters between Half Moon Bay and Santa Barbara with a small colony on San Nicolas Island. A newborn southern sea otter pup is a buff color, 22 to 24 inches (55 – 60 cm) in length and 4 to 5 lbs. Currently the southern sea otter population is estimated at just above 3,000 animals. Other threats to southern sea otters include entrapment or entanglement in fishing gear, oil spills, and climate change. The primary factors limiting population growth and range expansion of southern sea otters in recent years have been density-dependent resource limitation (where the number of sea otters is in equilibrium with available prey) in much of the central portion of the mainland range and white shark attacks in the northern and southern portions of the mainland range. The population index exceeded 3,090 for the first time in 2016. Nope. Average length of an adult California sea otter is about 4 ft. A group of sea otters resting together is called a raft. Hopefully not stinky skunks!!! The Northern Sea Otter is found in Washington, Canad a, and Alaska. Sea otters are quite large, weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kg) and reaching lengths of nearly 5 feet (1.5 m). The Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) also goes by the name California Sea Otter and has the distinction of being one the heaviest members of the weasel family, yet one of the smallest marine mammals. Today, southern sea otters live along the central coast of California; northern sea otters live along the coasts of Washington, Canada, and Alaska. Before the fur trade of the 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters ranged along the North Pacific Rim from Hokkaido, Japan to Baja California, Mexico. Learn more about these cute and charismatic critters. It must eat 20% to 25% of its body weight every day to maintain normal body temperature, so it will spend much of the day foraging. A quick glance at facts about California's southern sea otter population.-- Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/ -- Create animated… They need a lot of food so that they stay healthy. OCEANWALKERS Sea Otters live in coastal waters & estuaries. Unlike most other marine mammals, they have little subcutaneous fat, relying instead on their clean, dense, water resistant fur for insulation against the cold. For southern sea otters to be considered for removal from threatened species listing, the population index would have to exceed 3,090 for three consecutive years, according to the threshold established under the Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan by the U.S. They eat 40 plus different types of species such as clams, urchins, and snails. Southern Sea Otter. Ventura, California 93003, Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation, Big Sur Monterey Sea Otter Study Draft Report, Letter to Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Donald Schregardus FSEIS Comments, Final Supplemental EIS on the Translocation of Southern Sea Otters - Volume 1, Final Supplemental EIS on the Translocation of Southern Sea Otters - Volume 2, Final Recovery Plan for the Southern Sea Otter. Average weight of an adult female California sea otter is about 50 lbs. 3. They float like corks on top of the water unable to dive and therefore, are completely dependent on the mother sea otter. Deepest dive recorded is 264 feet. Southern sea otter facts. Southern Sea Otter Facts Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris, or Enhydra lutris nereis Physical Characteristics: 4 feet long, approximately 65 pounds, males - 45 pounds, females Strong canine teeth for tearing food, flat molars for crushing External ears like a sea lion's with excellent hearing capability If you come across a sea otter you think is sick, injured or abandoned, please give it space and call The Marine Mammal Center’s stranding hotline at (415) 289-7325. (29.5 kg) and adult females average 45 lbs. The sea otter is covered in dense fur that consists of two layers. Sea Otter Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. Fun Facts. They also feast on critters of the ocean like sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses, and tiny or puny fish. They have four legs to move easily on land, and a long tail to swim through the water. Description. How Do Sea Otters Eat? Depending on factors such as habitat, sex, reproductive status, and per-capita prey availability, obtaining this quantity of food requires that sea otters spend 20-50 percent of the day foraging. 4. Sea otters are members of the weasel or mustelid family. 5. Is there a pupping season? Mating and breeding does not take place in the Sea Otter’s life until later on. These forests are one of the most dynamic and richest marine ecosystems in the world, possessing high density of biomass and greater productivity. Sea otters have the densest fur of all mammals with up to 1 million hairs per square inch. Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) images and facts - this gallery boasts a stunning display of stock photos showing the unique character of the southern sea otter in countless different positions. Seagrasses also provide important benefits, such as nursery habitat for many other species, shoreline protection, and carbon sequestration. Mating and pupping occur throughout the year, but on average across the range, a peak period of pupping occurs from October to January, with a secondary peak in March and April. That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. The annual southern sea otter census is a cooperative effort between USGS-Western Ecological Research … The southern river otter (Lontra provocax) is a species of otter that lives in Chile and Argentina. Sea Otters give birth throughout the year, there is three factors that may effect when the female gives birth those are: the weather, amount of food available, and the location. The southern sea otter, one of 13 different species of river and sea otters worldwide, ranges from Año Nuevo, north of Santa Cruz, to Purisima Point, north of Point Conception. Sea otters naturally thrive in nearshore habitats. Historically, southern sea otters were present in coastal marine habitats from northern California to Baja California in Mexico. Sea Otter Facts: Families Groups of sea otters are called ‘rafts’. 3. Want to watch cute sea otters romp, wrestle and play every day of the year? Sea otters use rocks to remove prey from their shells. Floating on its back and using its chest as a table, a sea otter often uses a rock to crack open its prey — especially if dinner is a crab, clam or mussel. Gestation is 6 months (2 months delayed implantation + 4 months pregnancy). Although they hunt on the sea floor, they return to the surface to eat. The southern sea otter (Enhyrda lutris nereis), which lives in southern California. Not all otters use tools, but sea otters use them all the time. They are mostly found in temperate or cold coastal waters with plentiful forests of giant kelp beds. Newborn pups cannot sink nor can they dive. The southern sea otter measures up to 4 feet (1.2 m) in length; females weigh up to 50 pounds (23 kg) and males up to 70 pounds (32 kg). California’s southern sea otter has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. It sometimes is considered a subspecies of Lontra canadensis. Food preferences vary among individuals. Have you ever seen an otter with a scarred or bloody nose? Hopefully not stinky skunks!!! On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. They are mostly found in temperate or cold coastal waters with plentiful forests of giant kelp beds. Sea otters do not migrate and hardly ever travel far unless they are in search for food. Southern sea otter #530 with her male pup. Sea Otter Sea otters are part of the weasel family. 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. Today southern sea otters have reclaimed about 13 percent of their historic range: the mainland coastline from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County, California, and San Nicolas Island, Ventura County (as a result of translocation efforts initiated in 1987). US Fish and Wildlife Service Their teeth are strong enough to crunch open a clam shell or bite through a sea urchin's spines. A sea otter's diet consists mainly of slow-moving fishes and marine invertebrates including crabs, sea urchins, abalones, clams, mussels, and snails. It sometimes is considered a subspecies of Lontra canadensis.The southern river otter is listed as endangered, due to illegal hunting, water pollution, and habitat loss Sea otters are usually dark brown, often with lighter guard h… From feeding habits to ecosystem maintenance, sea otters are more than meets the eye. The Southern Sea Otter is found in California. Longest dive ever recorded was just under 8 minutes. On average, an adult male California sea otter consumes over 4,000 calories daily. See more ideas about otter love, otters, sea otter. They are usually seen in rocky marine habitats where there is a high abundance of kelp canopy and typically in water depths about 20 m. Kelp canopy is an important habitat component used for resting and foraging. Sea otters eat many kinds of invertebrates, including sea urchins, abalone, clams, crabs, snails, sea stars, squid & octopuses. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. The current range extends along the California coast from Half Moon Bay in the north to Santa Barbara in the south, though individuals are occasionally seen outside these limits. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Sea otters are one of the only mammals that are been known to use tools to obtain and eat their prey. Sea otters are related to skunks and weasels. Unlike northern sea otters found in Alaska, southern sea otters here in California don’t eat fish. Sea otters often float at the water's surface in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed, and entangle themselves to keep from moving in the rolling sea. 2. Sea otter pup fur is known as a lanugo. Adult sea otters can eat 25% - 30% of their body weight in one day! The Southern Sea Otter & Southwest Stock of Northern Sea Otters in Alaska are both listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. 2. 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