Species Spotlight: Sea Otter
Species spotlight:
Tummy tables, tools and thick fur. Enter the world of the Sea Otter!
Names & Nicknames: Sea Otter, Elakha
Size: This depends on the gender of our chunky friends and the specific subspecies they belong to. The men are larger than the ladies, and the largest of all are the subspecies are the Northern Sea Otters, followed by the Russian Sea Otters and last but not least (well, least in size) the Southern Sea Otters. Whereas the Northern and Russian Sea Otters can get up to 1.5 metres long and 45kg, their Southern cousins only get to around 1.2 metres and 32kg.
Smell: A Sea Otter, perhaps surprisingly, smells kinda' like the sea. Their fur can smell a bit fishy and marine-y.
Communication: Unlike other otters, smell is not such an important communicator for our marine friends. They mainly chat with each other through sounds and body language, cooing, grunting, whistling and screaming. Or, maybe more sweetly, perhaps bopping noses or grooming each other.
Favourite Hangout: Sea Otters can be found along the coasts of the North Pacific, including in Canada, Russia, Japan, and the US. They tend not to stray far from shore, usually less than 1.5km, and they like shallow coastal areas such as rocky shores, barrier reefs, and kelp forests.
Favourite Snack: Sea Otters don’t mind a few slow-moving fish, but their absolute favourite thing to crunch into is marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, crabs, mussels, abalones, snails, and clams.
Eating Habits: Sea Otters have some pretty ingenious (and adorable!) eating habits. They dive down to catch their prey, and they have loose skin pockets under their arms that they can use to stash their finds while staying underwater and searching for more food. Once back on the surface, it is time to tuck in; they will float in the water on their backs and use their tummies as a table as they eat. They are even one of the very few animals known to use tools, such as rocks, to break into harder-to-reach prey.
Love Language: Sea Otter courtship can be… energetic. A male and a female looking to mate will play with each other, rolling around and frolicking in the water. Though sometimes males can get a bit carried away, and it can get fairly heated. Eeeeep.
If you see them: Although they may look cute and cuddly, they are still wild animals at the end of the day, so it is always best to keep your distance and observe from afar.
Red Flags: Unfortunately, these fluffy fellows face a range of threats, including habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, boat strikes, competition with fisheries, disease, and climate change. Their main threat, however, is the deadly threat of oil spills. Sea Otters are extra vulnerable to oil spills as their special fur (the thickest in the animal kingdom) that keeps them warm can get coated in oil, and they lose the ability to keep warm in the cold seas. This can, unfortunately, lead to hypothermia and death, especially in winter.
Epic Journeys: Sea Otters don’t really move around too much; as long as they have a good food supply, they are perfectly happy staying in their home ranges, which can range from a few kilometres squared to around 40.
Glow-up: Baby sea Otters are born ready to go, with open eyes, little teeth and a fully developed coat of fur, allowing them to float and begin to swim. They will stay close to their mother for about 8 months as they learn to dive and forage with her guidance.
Facts: Sea Otters will sleep while floating on their backs in the ocean. They will often nap in kelp forests, so the kelp strands stop them from floating away, or they might even hold hands with each other to stay together; cute!
Who are they in the friendship group: Great in the cold, loves the water and super social.
Name:
Sea Otter
Habitat:
Shallow coastal waters in the northern Pacific along the coasts of Canada, Russia, Japan, and the US
Diet:
Mainly marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, crabs, mussels, abalones, snails, and clams. Also, some slow-moving fish.
Size:
Dependent on sex and subspecies, but generally around 1-1.5 metres long and 20-45kg in weight
Behaviour:
Diurnal (mostly active during the day) and social
Predators:
Orcas, great white sharks, bald eagles, coyotes, wolves, and brown bears
Lifespan:
10-23 years
Threats:
Oil spills, habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, boat strikes, competition with fisheries, disease, and climate change
Conservation status:
Endangered
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