Sea otters once ranged from Northern Japan to central Baja California, and had an estimated global population of between 150,000 and 300,000. Libby. River otters do not. Unlike other marine mammals, such as seals and sea lions, sea otters do not have any blubber, so they depend on this exceptionally thick, water-resistant fur to stay warm in the cold, coastal Pacific. 3) Sea otters are about the size of a domestic cat. This program also only exists for southern sea otters (Joey is a northern one). Disease: Heart disease is a major harm to sea otters. When they check-in and do our orientation in person, we also cover, among safety factors, how to approach sea otters and watch their behavior. Dominant male sea otters claim territories and defend them from younger, older, or less aggressive males. Eurasian otters are polyestrous, having a four- to six-week cycle with two weeks of estrus. This fate was overturned by an international ban, which saved the mammal from eradication and recovered its populations, although unevenly, across the archipelago. Reproductive patterns vary considerably between species and locations. In fact, they have the densest fur of any mammal with up to 1,000,000 hairs per square inch. You try walking on big, paddle-shaped hind flippers and you would be too. Sea otters float in what are called rafts. The otter is much smaller than the sea lions and seals, so the killer whales must eat more to get the same nourishment. Male sea otters sometimes attack baby seals and attempt to mate with them, writes Brian Switek for Slate. Southern sea otter #530 with her male pup. Pups are weaned when they are about 6 months old but have started eating solid foods soon after birth. Unlike other otters, having a soft undercoat, sea otters possess fur with thick hard hair. The species eats in the water, often using its chest to hold its food, and rests on rocks near the water’s edge (Estes, 1980; Nowak, 1991). They rarely come ashore and when they do they’re pretty clumsy. Sea otters are capable of giving birth every year, but females usually experience much longer birth intervals. Predators: Some preadators to the sea otter are sharks, killer whales, eagles, and bears. Sea otters eat clams, crabs, snails, starfish, abalone, and 40 other marine animals. 6. Sea Otters walk awkwardly on land and even in water do not have the speed or agility of seals. Males do not look after their offspring. You can also spot Moea swimming around with a toy on her stomach or sleeping as much as she can. Otters sometimes float in forests of kelp, or giant seaweed, in which they entangle themselves to provide anchorage in the swirling sea. 4) Both male and female sea otters care for their pups. An otter must eat around 1–1.5kg of prey daily. Sea otters eat bottom- dwelling nearshore animals, which they often forage for in kelp forests. The front hair has a length of 20 mm, an undercoat of 12 mm. Deprived of their normal food, killer whales turned to the sea otter. Fortunately, sea otters feed on sea urchins resulting in the preservation of the kelp forests. Sea otters eat crab, prawns, mussels, clams, squid, sea star legs, but sea otters mostly eat sea urchins.Sea otters eat 25% of there body weight everyday. On the other hand, sea otters eat, sleep, groom, mate and give birth at sea. Female sea otters have an average litter size of 1 puppy. She was found abandoned at just 24 hours old. The longest recorded sea otter dive was 4 minutes, 2 and the deepest recorded sea otter dive was 318 feet (97 m) deep. 5. A study from the University of California, Davis, identifies the parasite’s specific strains that are killing southern sea otters, tracing them back to a bobcat and feral 1. Sea otters are a social species—females and their pups are often observed spending time together in one group and males in another. The otters have thick, hard fur of a brownish color, a light belly and a muzzle. Male sea otters do gruesome things to baby seals–and female sea otters. Sea otter pups are typically two feet in length and weigh between three and five pounds at birth. Otters are largely solitary, semi-aquatic mammals that get most of their food from lochs, rivers or the sea. Sea otters dive up to 120 feet to find food. Attempts to transplant sea otters from Alaska to Southern Oregon locations in the 1970s failed as the populations collapsed. RELATED LINKS . The otters can get caught in the nets and drown. Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a thick layer of blubber and rely upon their water-resistant fur for insulation. Sea Otters’ Main Threats. However hunting which began the downfall of the sea otter in the Northern Pacific Ocean. They sleep this way, often gathered in groups. California sea otters are found exclusively along the coast of central California and can be seen at Otter Outlook. It may be, Wellman said, that the sites were too far south to support the survival of northern otters whose genetics had not adapted to those environments. More kelp forests result in fewer urchin barrens, as well as an increase in the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and release oxygen back into the air. The oil coats the fur, which causes the animal to become very cold and not be able to live. There is no surrogacy program for northern sea otters at this time at all, anywhere in the world. 2) Sea otters are one of the few animals other than primates that use tools. Another danger caused by humans are fishing nets. Females carry their babies on their bellies while nursing. Sea otter pups are born with a buoyant fur that does not allow them to sink. Sea otters’ presence is crucial in keeping the ecosystem balanced and the kelp forests healthy and thriving. Sea otters, at the time thriving in numbers across the islands, were hunted for their thick and dense pelt and became close to extinction by the turn of the 20th century. The dominant males will mate with all the females in their territory, and sometimes try to steal or lure females away from other males. Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight each day in sea urchins, crabs, clams, snails and other invertebrates. Male otters are usually larger than females. And, even if you live far from the Pacific Ocean, that matters to you because kelp forests are one of the ocean’s great carbon sinks; they help mitigate the effects of climate change. Sea otter pups . Sea otters are polygynous, mating at any time of year. Sea otters often float at the water's surface, lying on their backs in a posture of serene repose. When lying face-up they move slowly by sculling the tail or paddling with one or both hindlimbs. These aquatic otters do more than sleep while floating on their backs. Female sea otters raise their pups without assistance from males. Historical and Current Sea Otter Range . Occasionally, the female can give birth to twins, but the female only cares for one of the puppies and the other usually dies. Sometimes sea otters like to hold hands. Gestation lasts up to a year, and the mother bears a single pup. 1. The average weight for adult males is around 45 kg, but they can easily reach 54 kg, while females are usually not larger than 35 kg. Did you know? The structure of the fur allows the sea otter to keep the undercoat dry at a time when the animal is wet. Why do orcas eat sea otters? What do sea otters eat? where do sea otters live? Sea otters live an average of 10-11 years. However, sea otters can dive to 330 feet in pursuit of food and they are able to hold their breath for 5 minutes! Sea otters normally have a single offspring. population of sea otters. Litter Size. Female otters weigh an average of 45 pounds and male otters weigh an average of 65 pounds. Sea otters use rocks to crack open their prey as fast as 45 blows in 15 seconds. Reproductive Cycles. Human causes: Oil spills are a big danger to otters. Kelp forests sequester carbon . Range & Habitat. Southern sea otters can live to approximately 15 years for males and 16 years for females. Sea otters have paddle-shaped hind limbs, whereas the river otters have webbed paws. River and giant otters may have as many as five young in a litter, and Asian small-clawed otters may have six. Many times, a mother sea otter will abandon a pup if she gives birth to twins … Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have an insulating layer of fat to retain heat. Look in the library and on the Internet to learn what animals live in a kelp forest. Males are capable of mating at age five or six, but usually don't become active breeders for several more years. Libby is also a Southern sea otter, rescued from the wild by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Female sea otters become mature at about four years. And then, of course, there’s signage everywhere.” Historically, southern sea otters were present in coastal marine habitats from northern California to Baja California in Mexico. Their length is in the 1.4-1.5 m range. The Scottish population has an unusually high proportion (perhaps 50% or more) of coastal-dwelling individuals, which feed almost exclusively in the sea. Freshwater otters usually have litters of one to three young. What do sea otters eat? Female sea otters are ready to bear young at three to four years, and normally give birth to one pup. sea otters can hold there breath up to seven minutes. Females otters nature at 3 years of age and males at age 5. Holding hands allows sea otters to keep their delicate paw pads warm. They prefer sheltered bays and reefs along the rugged outer coast of North America. 7) Sea otters groom themselves primarily to … Lacking an insulating blubber layer, these otters are covered in dense, luxurious fur that keeps them warm. 6) Sea otters live in oceans and rivers around the world. 7. Many wild southern sea otters in California are infected with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, yet the infection is fatal for only a fraction of sea otters, which has long puzzled the scientific community. Estes and his colleagues estimate that a single killer whale will have to eat 1,825 otters a year to get its required nourishment. Sea otters must eat at least 25% of their body weight each day in order to maintain a high metabolic rate, which keeps their internal body temperature at 100ºF. Habitat & Diet. 5) Sea otters eat very little food. Their average dive lasts about a minute; the longest dive recorded, however, lasted 4 minutes. Sea otters live in the kelp forest in the pacific ocean some sea otters also live in Russia and Alaska. Many female sea otters have a similar scar from mating in the wild. Since pups are heavily dependent upon their mothers for up to one year, sea otters usually reproduce every other year. Click to see full answer. Sea otters are commonly seen in large groups, while river otters rarely occur in groups larger than a single family which may include 3-4 young. Sea otters spend the majority of their life in the ocean, thus they are classified as marine mammals. As one of the few animals that uses tools, sea otters feed on shelled creatures like clams and abalone, using a rock to break them open. We only ever rescue one sea otter pup every couple of years, and we do not have non-releasable adult sea otters that would have survival skills to pass on. 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