Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal species. 8. We wouldn't go drifting away on one of these rafts, however! Otters have to eat vast amounts of food every day, which takes up a significant portion of their time. Sea otters primarily rely on their sense of touch (whiskers and forepaws) in murky waters to locate prey. * Sea otters are a federally protected endangered species. Currently, sea otters can be found in approximately two-thirds of their historic range, although they remain an endangered species. Few sea otter species emerge on land either for giving birth or for resting. They are definitely meat eaters. They are known to eat clams, mussels, crabs, octopus, sea urchins, snails, and fat innkeeper worms. Your email address will not be published. It has short tail and webbed-feet with retractable front claws. On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. Sea otters are equally active both night and day. Without this, they rely on their two fur layers to keep them warm. OTTER FACTS FOR KIDS! Sea otters don’t have blubber or fat to keep them warm like other marine mammals. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. That’s because, unlike its fellow marine mammals, … Sea otters reach maximum lengths of 4.9 feet (1.5 m) and weights of 100 pounds (45 kg). Sea Otter Facts For Kids. They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. The largest of this weasel family, sea otters weigh 31-100 lb (14-45 kg). This may seem a little gross, but not when you learn they are meticulously clean. Nowadays, sea otters are beloved due to their appearance and charismatic personalities. Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! Funny! Groups of sea otters are called ‘rafts’. Fact2: Weighing between 30 and 100 pounds, the sea otter is the world’s smallest species of marine mammal. 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. 10. 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. Although they are capable of surviving on land, sea otters often spend their whole lives in the water. Here are 5 fun & easy to remember facts about sea otters. When resting or sleeping, sea otters … Fun Facts for Kids. So if you weren’t on board with these loveable animals before, welcome to the club! Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. When hunting for prey, Marine otters will dive as deep as 30 to 40 m. A baby marine otter is a 'pup’ or ‘whelp'. 2. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. © 2021 Awesome Ocean. Cuteness! The Sea Otter is the only species that have a shorter and less muscular tail. Sea otters are very social animals that can live in groups made up of hundreds of individuals. Sea otters are a medium-sized member of the Mustelidae family. Additional resources 1. To prevent drifting away, they often wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands while resting. No sea otters, no kelp forests. It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Sea Otter Facts: Families. 5. 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. 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. When they find a really good rock, they will keep it around by storing it in little bags under their arm. If otters fascinate you, below are some interesting otter facts. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. Sea otters’ diet includes sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they’re known to … A raft may have only ten sea otters but may also be a group of up to a thousand! “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. 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. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. Sea otters have built in pouches of loose skin under their forearms to stash extra prey when diving. By. 1. 1. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. There are many cute and cuddly animals out there, but not many can upstage the sea otter. I recently found out that sea otters fall asleep holding paws and my heart has never been so full. Most sea otters measure less than 50 inches. Usually, a single baby (called a pup) is produced following 4 to 5 months of pregnancy. Otters eat 15-20 percent of their bodyweight daily. 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. Among the endangered are the sea otters along the Californian to Alaskan coasts, which are threatened by "environmental pollutants and disease agents." National Geographic: Sea Otter 2. Their fur is brown with shades of lighter tan and yellow on the heads … Other Fun Facts. 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. A newborn pup needs constant attention and will stay with its mother for six months until it develops survival skills. Sea otters inhabit temperate coastal waters with rocky or soft sediment ocean bottom. Photo source: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals. 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. Fun Facts. However, sea otters are typically marine mammals. Share them here in the comments section below! Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. Here are 5 fun & easy to remember facts about sea otters. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. Male Otters are called boars, females are sows, and the offspring are pups. Even a baby sea otter can stay warm on the open ocean, but they do need some help from their mothers. Fish and Wildlife Service. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. 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. Sea otters are commonly spotted on WWF’s Alaska tours. Log in. Otters like to stick together, so when they sleep they will wrap themselves in seaweed and float together in a group. 10 Facts About Otters You Should Know Instead Of Trying To Hook Them. One reason for this is their lack of a blubber layer. They usually weigh between 7 to 31 pounds (3 – 14 kg). 3. A group of sea otters is called a raft. They use the rock as a table against which they smash their shelled prey to g… Sea Otter Facts for Kids. Cute! Otters have a nasty bite! Southern sea otters breed and pup year-round, while northern sea otter pups in Alaska are usually born in the spring. 15 fun facts about dolphins for Dolphin Awareness Month, Family review of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Downtown Chicago/Magnificant Mile. Rather fittingly, these groups of sea otters are called rafts. Its ears and nostrils are closed down in water. National Geographic: North American River Otter 3. 7 FUN FACTS ABOUT OTTERS! Their frequent appearance also means more … 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. Sea otters eat sea urchins & other invertebrates that graze on giant kelp. Resourcefulness: Sea otters are extremely resourceful animals, especially when it comes to eating. 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. 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. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. Otters are found on every single continent in the world except for … 5. 9. 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. They prey on crustaceans by using pairs of rocks to crush the outer shells, easily accessing the soft flesh inside. Sea otters are provided a varied diet while in human care. Here are some fun facts about sea otters. Fun Facts About Sea Otters. The Sea Otter Research and Conservation program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been studying sea otters since 1984. 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. Approximately 90% of the world’s sea otter population lives in coastal Alaska. Here are some fun facts about sea otters. 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! Sea otters are unique in the otter family as the only species to give birth in the water. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. Sea otters can stay underwater for 5 minutes, and river otters can hold their breath for even longer - 8 minutes! In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… The sea otter has long whiskers and water-repellent coat that insulates the animal from freezing water. 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. Hunted nearly to extinction by the fur trade, sea otters are endangered and currently exist in only a portion of their historic range. 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. Did you know? Upon returning to the surface, they float on their backs, with the rock on the stomachs. Sea otters sleep on their backs while floating in the water. The name for a group of these animals is a 'romp,’ ‘bevy,’ ‘family,’ ‘lodge,’ or ‘raft'. Most sea otters hunt and eat by themselves but then stay together in this group or raft when resting. Weight of otter depends on their breed. All Rights Reserved. The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. Fun Otter Facts for Kids. A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. To prevent drifting away, they often wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands while resting. This makes up for its lack of blubber in the cold Pacific water. 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 can reach speeds of 1.5 km/h (0.9 mph) on the surface and 9 km/h (5.6 mph) while diving. Sea otters use rocks to crack open shellfish and clams to eat. 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 mainly live in river basins. The sea otter's dark brown fur is the finest and densest of any animal fur. It ranges from 250,000 to a million hairs per square inch, according to the Defenders of Wildlife. Which is quite impressive considering they can live up to 23 years! Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight in food every day. This inc… 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. Their fur is the densest of any animal with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter. Fun fact: An otter pup’s fur is so dense that … Sea otters have the densest fur of all mammals with up to 1 million hairs per square inch. They are one of the few animals that use tools! 2. Rahimah Rashith - 26 Oct 2015, 11:48 am. Photo by U.S. Mothers will continue to float on their backs, nurse their young and teach them to swim and hunt. Learning Colors! Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Read on and enjoy our interesting information about otters. 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. 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 … Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! Sea otters will eat virtually anything they can get their little paws on. Otters consume mainly fish but many people think that they eat plants and berries. 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! In summer, when sea otters spend almost all their time in the sea, the way they sleep on the water looks very touching. 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. 9. Do you have any fun or interesting facts about otters that we’ve missed? 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. Check out our range of fun otter facts for kids. 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. Sea otters are good at floating on the water’s surface, as air trapped in their fur makes them more buoyant. 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. Average life span in the wild is up to 12 years except for sea otter who can live up to 20 years. Fun Facts about Sea Otter! Sea otters can hold their breather underwater for more than 5 minutes, and river otters can hold theirs for more than 8! A rescued sea otter pup is taken to Alaska SeaLife Center to be treated. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. Photo source: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com. The otter is a carnivorous mammal in a branch of the weasel family called Lutrinae. Approximately 90% of the world’s sea otter population lives in coastal Alaska. Sea otters dive to rocky reefs, where they collect invertebrates and also a large rock. Description. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. Its fur is the densest of any animal on Earth—an estimated 1 million hairs per square inch. * Sea otters are a federally protected endangered species. A group of resting otters is called a raft. Almost all otters have webbed feet, some more webbed than others, and they can close off their ears and nose as they swim underwater. Their bodies are insulated by a thick fur coat and not by blubber as in other marine mammals. 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.