The sea otter's dark brown fur is the finest and densest of any animal fur. Photo source: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com. We wouldn't go drifting away on one of these rafts, however! Upon returning to the surface, they float on their backs, with the rock on the stomachs. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. 8. Sea otters have built in pouches of loose skin under their forearms to stash extra prey when diving. When resting or sleeping, sea otters … Nowadays, sea otters are beloved due to their appearance and charismatic personalities. The otter is a carnivorous mammal in a branch of the weasel family called Lutrinae. 1. On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. Here are 5 fun & easy to remember facts about sea otters. Check out our range of fun otter facts for kids. A rescued sea otter pup is taken to Alaska SeaLife Center to be treated. To prevent drifting away, they often wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands while resting. Learning Colors! Sea otters are equally active both night and day. The largest of this weasel family, sea otters weigh 31-100 lb (14-45 kg). Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. Otters consume mainly fish but many people think that they eat plants and berries. No sea otters, no kelp forests. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies them as “endangered.” Their numbers were once close to 300,000, but hunters pursued them for their pelts. Here are 5 fun & easy to remember facts about sea otters. * Sea otters are a federally protected endangered species. Sea otters have the densest fur of all mammals with up to 1 million hairs per square inch. 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.That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. 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. Sea otters use rocks to crack open shellfish and clams to eat. Sea otters are very social animals that can live in groups made up of hundreds of individuals. Fact2: Weighing between 30 and 100 pounds, the sea otter is the world’s smallest species of marine mammal. If otters fascinate you, below are some interesting otter facts. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. OTTER FACTS FOR KIDS! The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. Fun Facts for Kids. They use the rock as a table against which they smash their shelled prey to g… 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. Sea otters can stay underwater for 5 minutes, and river otters can hold their breath for even longer - 8 minutes! Otters have a nasty bite! It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. However, sea otters are typically marine mammals. Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! 5. Even a baby sea otter can stay warm on the open ocean, but they do need some help from their mothers. This thick fur keeps the animals warm but unfortunately has led to over-hunting by … When otters dive, they are able to seal their nose and ears. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. The Sea Otter Research and Conservation program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been studying sea otters since 1984. A raft may have only ten sea otters but may also be a group of up to a thousand! National Geographic: North American River Otter 3. So if you weren’t on board with these loveable animals before, welcome to the club! 2. Sea otters are a medium-sized member of the Mustelidae family. Their bodies are insulated by a thick fur coat and not by blubber as in other marine mammals. Sea otters are unique in the otter family as the only species to give birth in the water. Their fur is brown with shades of lighter tan and yellow on the heads … Sea otters inhabit temperate coastal waters with rocky or soft sediment ocean bottom. National Geographic: Sea Otter 2. * Sea otters are a federally protected endangered species. Sea otters sleep on their backs while floating in the water. Weight of otter depends on their breed. Do you have any fun or interesting facts about otters that we’ve missed? The sea otter has long whiskers and water-repellent coat that insulates the animal from freezing water. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. Photo by U.S. Sea otters primarily rely on their sense of touch (whiskers and forepaws) in murky waters to locate prey. 2. 7 FUN FACTS ABOUT OTTERS! Currently, sea otters can be found in approximately two-thirds of their historic range, although they remain an endangered species. Approximately 90% of the world’s sea otter population lives in coastal Alaska. Otters eat 15-20 percent of their bodyweight daily. 10. 15 fun facts about dolphins for Dolphin Awareness Month, Family review of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Downtown Chicago/Magnificant Mile. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. Sea otters don’t have blubber or fat to keep them warm like other marine mammals. That’s because, unlike its fellow marine mammals, … Learn where the otter lives, what they eat, what a group of otters is called, the names of various otter species and much more. Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. The babies sleep on their mother’s chest, touching the head to her chin, and the adult individuals gently but firmly hold each other’s front paws. Your email address will not be published. Sea Otter Facts for Kids. This may seem a little gross, but not when you learn they are meticulously clean. Photo source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals. Other Fun Facts. Because they are not exposed to predators, and do not have to forage for prey, they are provided with environmental enrichment in their habitat to keep them entertained. Sea otters generally forage close to shore in depths shallower than 18 meters (60 feet) but are capable of diving to depths of 90 meters (300 feet) or more. A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. Few sea otter species emerge on land either for giving birth or for resting. 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. Male Otters are called boars, females are sows, and the offspring are pups. Which is quite impressive considering they can live up to 23 years! The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. Otters like to stick together, so when they sleep they will wrap themselves in seaweed and float together in a group. They are definitely meat eaters. Here are some fun facts about sea otters. A group of resting otters is called a raft. Sea otters dive to rocky reefs, where they collect invertebrates and also a large rock. Otters have to eat vast amounts of food every day, which takes up a significant portion of their time. In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… Its fur is the densest of any animal on Earth—an estimated 1 million hairs per square inch. 1. They prey on crustaceans by using pairs of rocks to crush the outer shells, easily accessing the soft flesh inside. Sea otters reach maximum lengths of 4.9 feet (1.5 m) and weights of 100 pounds (45 kg). By. This inc… Sea otters are commonly spotted on WWF’s Alaska tours. Fun Facts. Rather fittingly, these groups of sea otters are called rafts. Fun fact: An otter pup’s fur is so dense that … We all know that sea otters are pretty darn adorable, but here are a few fun things you may not know about them: Sea otters sleep on their backs while floating in the water. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. Sea otter is the heaviest mustelid with the weight measuring at 22 – 45 kg (49 – 99 lb) in males; and the length measures around 1.2 – 1.5 m (3 ft … © 2021 Awesome Ocean. Sea otters’ diet includes sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they’re known to … Sea otters can hold their breather underwater for more than 5 minutes, and river otters can hold theirs for more than 8! Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight in food every day. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies them as “endangered.” Their numbers were once close to 300,000, but hunters pursued them for their pelts. They are one of the few animals that use tools! Groups of sea otters are called ‘rafts’. One reason for this is their lack of a blubber layer. Sea otters mainly live in river basins. Mothers will continue to float on their backs, nurse their young and teach them to swim and hunt. Their fur is the densest of any animal with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter. 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. Hunted nearly to extinction by the fur trade, sea otters are endangered and currently exist in only a portion of their historic range. 9. Here are some fun facts about sea otters. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. The name for a group of these animals is a 'romp,’ ‘bevy,’ ‘family,’ ‘lodge,’ or ‘raft'. Did you know? This makes up for its lack of blubber in the cold Pacific water. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. Sea otters eat sea urchins & other invertebrates that graze on giant kelp. Southern sea otters breed and pup year-round, while northern sea otter pups in Alaska are usually born in the spring. Otters are found on every single continent in the world except for … Read on and enjoy our interesting information about otters. Fun Otter Facts for Kids. 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. 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. The Sea Otter is the only species that have a shorter and less muscular tail. It is made up of a waterproof top layer and a short underlayer, which can contain as many as one million hairs per square inch. A sea otter relies on its fur to keep warm because it doesn't have an insulating layer of blubber as other marine mammals do. When hunting for prey, Marine otters will dive as deep as 30 to 40 m. A baby marine otter is a 'pup’ or ‘whelp'. Cute! Among the endangered are the sea otters along the Californian to Alaskan coasts, which are threatened by "environmental pollutants and disease agents." 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. Its ears and nostrils are closed down in water. Warm air trapped in a sea otter’s fur keeps them warm in chilly waters.When otters dive, they seal their ears and nose.The word otter comes from Old English and Indo European root words that were also used to create the English word for water.Otters have the densest fur in the world. Almost all otters have webbed feet, some more webbed than others, and they can close off their ears and nose as they swim underwater. “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 … 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. Most sea otters hunt and eat by themselves but then stay together in this group or raft when resting. Funny! To prevent drifting away, they often wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands while resting. Sea Otter Facts: Families. 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. Sea Otter Facts For Kids. There are many cute and cuddly animals out there, but not many can upstage the sea otter. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, sea otters living in a remote area in Washington state were carriers of the H1N1 virus. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. 10 Facts About Otters You Should Know Instead Of Trying To Hook Them. 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. Although they are capable of surviving on land, sea otters often spend their whole lives in the water. Approximately 90% of the world’s sea otter population lives in coastal Alaska. Their frequent appearance also means more … Fun Facts About Sea Otters. Sea otters will eat virtually anything they can get their little paws on. Additional resources 1. They are known to eat clams, mussels, crabs, octopus, sea urchins, snails, and fat innkeeper worms. A group of sea otters is called a raft. In summer, when sea otters spend almost all their time in the sea, the way they sleep on the water looks very touching. Usually, a single baby (called a pup) is produced following 4 to 5 months of pregnancy. 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. Rahimah Rashith - 26 Oct 2015, 11:48 am. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal species. All Rights Reserved. They burn a lot of calories so they fuel up on mussels, clams, sea urchins, crabs, squid, snails and various other sea creatures, eating up to a quarter of their body weight in one day. 5. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. Fish and Wildlife Service. Average life span in the wild is up to 12 years except for sea otter who can live up to 20 years. Cuteness! Resourcefulness: Sea otters are extremely resourceful animals, especially when it comes to eating. Share them here in the comments section below! When they find a really good rock, they will keep it around by storing it in little bags under their arm. The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. North American Sea Otter is also more slender than other otter breeds. Fun Facts about Sea Otter! I recently found out that sea otters fall asleep holding paws and my heart has never been so full. Sea otters are good at floating on the water’s surface, as air trapped in their fur makes them more buoyant. Sea otters are provided a varied diet while in human care. 3. They usually weigh between 7 to 31 pounds (3 – 14 kg). It has short tail and webbed-feet with retractable front claws. 9. 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! 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! It ranges from 250,000 to a million hairs per square inch, according to the Defenders of Wildlife. Without this, they rely on their two fur layers to keep them warm. Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. Log in. The SciCom class got to spend a day with three researchers monitoring a population of sea otters bobbing, diving, and playing in the waters directly behind the aquarium. Description. A newborn pup needs constant attention and will stay with its mother for six months until it develops survival skills.
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