northern sea otter facts

Sea otters spend much of their time sleeping by floating on their backs in water, and grooming, which increases the air capacity of their fur, their floating ability, the fur’s water repelling ability, and protection from cold. Photo by Lilian Carswell, U.S. They do fine in both cold and warm temperatures of water. Their nickname is the “sea beaver.” The skeletal structure of the sea otter is loosely articulated and lacks a clavicle which allows … The northern sea otter (Enhyrda lutris kenyoni), which lives from the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, down to Washington state, and; The southern sea otter (Enhyrda lutris nereis), which lives in southern California. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. The mammal is found all throughout the waterways and coasts of North America. 11. And, the They do live on land too but you may not see that as apparent as with other species of Otters. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. Sea otter’s fur is coloured dark brown, black, brown-grey or yellow in colour, and is occasionally speckled with a silver colour. Common otter is the other name for this animal. The length of a sea otter is four feet in California whereas in north sea, the height is slightly more than this. Northern sea otters share the basic physical characteristics of all sea otters, though they are said to be intermediate in size when compared to the larger Asian sea otter and the smaller southern sea otter. 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. On an adult animal, there are an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. Unlike most marine mammals, the sea otter's primary form of insulation is an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom. Visit Ten Random Facts's profile on Pinterest. Female sea otters generally have a single pup per litter, that is treated with much affection and attention, and any extra pups are generally abandoned. �� P� ׁ�O��'��^�ԣ�VQΗ�m��≐�k�� $� H��!Y��u��f�$R��QciƨS�tc�Xas��c�X��Z��7E*�n� It is native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters can spend their entire life in water. Sea otters mainly live in … 7. 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 otter dentition is adapted for crushing hard-shelled invertebrates such as clams, urchins, and crabs. Sea Otter Facts: Habitat: Northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Mishka is an asthmatic otter who uses an inhaler. The Northern River Otter is found both in Canada and the United States. Sea otters have a lifespan of up to 23 years, but on average they live up to 10 to 20 years, and they grow to be 1 to 1.5 metres (3.3 to 4.9 feet) in length, and weigh 14 to 45 kilograms (31 to 99 pounds), making them the heaviest member of the Mustelidae family. Their teeth are strong enough to crunch open a clam shell or bite through a sea urchin's spines. ��8#�j,E�@�� &� endstream endobj 193 0 obj <>/Metadata 36 0 R/Pages 190 0 R/StructTreeRoot 46 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 194 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 190 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 195 0 obj <>stream The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. Additional resources 1. [1] Top speed for a sea otter is 5.6 mph (9 km/hr), [2] but speeds of 2 to 3 mph (3.2 to 4.8 km/hr) are more common. – Source 13. Currently there are less than 3,000 Sea Otters in California, between 65,000 and 78 ,000 in Washington, Canada, and Alaska combined. A group of otters is called a romp. The Russian Sea Otter is found off the eastern coast of Russia and several have been reported in Japan. Sea otters use rocks to remove prey from their shells. The sea otter's dark brown fur is the finest and densest of any animal fur. Whereas a female southern sea otter grows up to 50 pounds, a female northern sea otter can weigh up to 70 pounds. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is rare, completely marine otter. In North America, there are two distinct sea otter subspecies, the northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) and the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis).Northern sea otters are found in the Aleutian Islands, South Central and Southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. Sea otters inhabit temperate coastal waters with rocky or soft sediment ocean bottom. Like sea otters, river otters also display thickest furs that ensure a limited heat loss. National Geographic: Sea Otter 2. Sea Otters have joined the ranks of ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, and elephant seals, all animals that can contract influenza.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. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (31 and 99 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. The Northern Sea Otter is found in Washington, Canad a, and Alaska. Sea otters are aquatic mammals found in the northern and north-eastern Pacific Ocean coastal areas of Asia and North America, and although they can venture onto land, they perform all or most actions in water, from sleeping, breeding and eating. %PDF-1.5 %�� Their fur is the densest of any animal with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter. They use the rock as a table against which they smash their shelled prey to g… Your email address will not be published. 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. Their bodies are insulated by a thick fur coat and not by blubber as in other marine mammals. In California, the weight of a female is 45 lbs and of a male otte… Although it can walk on land, the sea otter is capable of living exclusively in the oce… 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. Within Alaska, there are 3 stocks. Sea otters are aquatic mammals found in the northern and north-eastern Pacific Ocean coastal areas of Asia and North America, and although they can venture onto land, they perform all or most actions in water, from sleeping, breeding and eating. 7P�b��;jR�pڀ��W��t�� Sea otters can have a pup any time of the year. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. Fun Facts for Kids. Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. They are known to dig tunnels under the w… They are highly adaptable animals so as long as they have access to enough food and water they can thrive. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. Fact5: The sea otter lifespan is 10-15 years for males; 15-20 years for females.. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris)! The Russian Sea Otter is found off the eastern coast of Russia and several have been reported in Japan. Even a baby sea otter can stay warm on the open ocean, but they do need some help from their mothers. The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. The Northern Sea Otter is found in Washington, Canada, and Alaska. The Southeast stock can be found in the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. �5`�ɾ̞"YL��*0�D�F�١`�`�DfjI�B?��4�"�W�� @lFu�f��V Rv%��`��`��HN��b��l�]j �;��,~��`�&X�X�s0��/�;3r�&�JCĎ�$��``��?84��i�]� o?! Read more about this in the. Here are five interesting facts about them: These beautiful animals are the smallest marine mammals in the world, measuring just 148 cm long. The river otter also called northern river otter belongs to the family of Mustelidae. h�bbd```b``. Most posts contain affiliate links. North American Sea Otter is also more slender than other otter breeds. Email me at cris (at) tenrandomfacts (dot) com and ask for a specific topic. It weighs around 5 – 14 kg (11 – 31 lb). Sea otters are a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae) and live in the near-shore waters along the North Pacific ocean. Upon returning to the surface, they float on their backs, with the rock on the stomachs. Pups begin to dive and forage at about 2 months. Southern sea otters breed and pup year-round, while northern sea otter pups in Alaska are usually born in the spring. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. Bonus Fact: In the U.S., there are two distinct sea otter subspecies, the Northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) and the Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis).Northern sea otters are found in the Aleutian Islands, Southern Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. Newborn sea otter pups are so buoyant they can’t immediately dive for food. �Yr� �Ó"��F8?��b�V�~�C2�g�,��v (�g�ͮ��U2�&��, X�.M�Y~�� '_kK�L.ڃ�)��(�+��{{ca�I~֏R~��]�`��j�G��|�ǥ�1,Y��]�瓂^f�~�Ȗ�'Y��o�� /�%Yp�K�)��/�tQ~N�S�� \��F"��[�D�9� ��c`y"f֢�$��٢J�g��^v�6�� W��F2�w��Q��֣��XA:� �Ѫ��Fn��,��Ê~��I�d^�ӡ�L4ޗnH��U:8�o+�N��8��"��Hr�E��j�� :0�e� �4��IH��У��f��ѯ��Q��Vp�*��-F+�^ Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. I recently found out that sea otters fall asleep holding paws and my heart has never been so full. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. The smallest marine mammal, sea otters can be as long as 4 feet (1.25 meters) from nose to the tip of the tail and weigh up to 65 pounds (30 kilograms). Weight of otter depends on their breed. Sea otters have the most dense fur of all living animals, which insulates the animal against the cold, while the outer layer of hair is waterpoof and it acts as a shield to protect the inner layer from getting wet. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is a semiaquatic mammal in the weasel family.While it may simply be called the "river otter" in North America (to distinguish it from the sea otter) there are other river otter species throughout the world. ��Ō{�3�@-fY��,��b[��PfV. They live in offshore forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), and spend most of their active time foraging below the canopy. Sea otter moms typically only give birth to 1 pup. 9. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sea otters are known to wrap their pups and themselves in kelp to keep from drifting out to sea. Sea otters are brown to almost black in color, but hands and necks whiten in older animals. Sea otters can swim submerged at a rate of 9 km/h (5.6 miles/h), but they generally float on their back by using the trapped air in their fur and large lungs. endstream endobj startxref 0 %%EOF 274 0 obj <>stream A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Under their arms, Sea otters have built in pockets. Oct 24, 2018 - Explore Kristen Marie's board "Otter Facts", followed by 103 people on Pinterest. – Source 12. Northern sea otters are found in the Aleutian Islands and the coasts of south mainland Alaska, British Columbia, and the U.S. State of Washington. h�b``P```z��i�103��96̉rw�Ĥ�jlf��h��h �"Kd+��b��'��1�2�bNd�`neb`Z��_�%e�.uS߉!��1K�&�_FAfM��L�N3�qMf�a�a�Z��,��uQ��/��a�� Quick facts about this adorable marine mammal! Required fields are marked *. Sea otters eat about 25% of their weight every day, and is arguably the number one cause in sea otter … Sea otter moms typically nurse and care for their pups for about 6 months before weaning them. Despite its common name, the North American river otter is equally comfortable in either coastal marine or freshwater habitats. Ѥ��G��-�C��["!D$�=�%�QP ��vb��zX} ��!Z��!h�|��?�iZ��S�1�^�� ʇ��*}� ��f��8�@��2.��>�_��Ǝ � k6��1�چŽh5��?�a��u�(Y��śӣ��]�z/ki'��f,�o��ҀD �Y��H��!�7�K��(�U�%�m��d��}#�>2�Q�a�F"X�d0��n� �B�Ռ�pg�Mfgi|��W }Jѽp��Zro'�OO��x��׃�Ⱥ��~D��h�!t��+�Vv�{*C+�9�V�1��V��d�TY^@E@�d��hx�BQ�0��j�k�h�캦vR�42&��o�4D�G�� @� M�_!��"�E��;��!�9��ǃ݊/�ᎃY2��A� 8��! This makes up for its lack of blubber in the cold Pacific water. ��h��D��3KR"uIh'O�@�{Μ9s(�X dp�V��%�E+�Zh�R��ShMY��ԴCDL�,��cO��FL�nx��h\h��Z��$ +�!�a�F�V`��E��Z��x ��!H�p�QxA{�@��cXq�=� �0�q�R~��},�e��@E�ЁpYg� �]_��q��NË��4ܟTY��y�ͪ�տ��,ɧ�/Ҥ��\��^xp��C�$P�Y:��"�#��H��竊��{]�y1�.�� E��V�ݫ0��]'��(>�&��4"$F��v,`Hu��Qކg��f|��X�h�G��4��}��(��,xm��y�T�ڌ�`8I^��b��U1��̦�-`��4��+\x��^ Sea otters remain endangered, due to the mammal almost being obliterated by human hunting from 1741 to 1911 for their valuable fur, causing the world population to drop from 150,000 – 300,000 down to 1,000 – 2,000 animals, and since they have been protected in various capacities since 1911, the population has somewhat recovered with 100,000 – 150,000 animals that now exist. Reefs, where they collect invertebrates and also a large rock any animal with about hairs. Is an asthmatic otter who uses an inhaler 's board `` otter Facts '', followed by 103 people Pinterest... 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