By: Alexa Gamallo Period 1 Sea Otters By: Alexa Gamallo Period 1

Basic Facts The heaviest members of the weasel family, sea otters are also the second smallest marine animals. No blubber to keep them warm Densest fur in animal kingdom ( 250,000 to a million hairs per square inch) Keystone species, meaning their role in their environment as a greater effect than other species. Critical to maintain balance of the near-shore kelp ecosystems. Without sea otters undersea animals they prey on would destroy the kelp forest Help reduce levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Diet Food: Urchins Abalone: an edible mollusk of warm seas that has a shallow ear-shaped lined with mother-of-pearl and pierced with respiratory holes. Mussels Clams Crabs Snails Eats approximately 25% of their weight in food each day to support their high metabolism

Population Before the number of otters ranged anywhere between several hundred thousand to more than a million Due to the high want in the fur trade industry the number went down to a total of 1,000-2,000 in the early 1900s Today estimated to be just over 106,000 worldwide and just under 3,000 in California

Habitat Live in shallow coastal waters off the Northern Pacific Northern Sea Otters are found in the Aleutian Islands, Southern Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington Southern Sea Otters also known as California sea otters live in the waters along the California coastline and range from San Mateo County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south Some sea otters are found in Russia Inhabit shallow coastal areas and prefer places with kelp, the kelp is used to wrap around the otters while they’re resting

Behavior Spend most of their lives in water, can dive up to 330 feet when foraging for food One of the few mammals other than primates known to use tools; small rocks or other objects to pry shellfish from rocks to hammer them open Pups spend the first 8 months of their life with their mother Pups fur is so thick they don’t sink even when wrapped in kelp they peep out of the water surface Pups learn to swim at about 4 weeks old Can eat between 25%-30% of their body weight in one day

Reproduction Otters typically have their first child at around age four or five Pregnancies last four to five months Pups usually weigh between three to five pounds Can be born year round. In California usually born between January and March and in Alaska usually born in the summer Otters generally just have one pup but otters could give birth to twins

Fun Facts A group of sea otters together is called a raft Sea otters are the only marine mammals without a layer of blubber The first sea otter was discovered by Georg Steller in 1751 Weighing as much as 99lbs Sea Otters are the heaviest members of the weasel family Have the thickest fur of any mammal and is considered to be one of the most valuable furs in the world Over 1,000,000 sea otters were killed during the Maritime Fur Trade Currently the most significant threat to sea otters are oil spills Can live their entire lives without leaving the water Live up to sixteen years in the wld An otter’s den is called a “holt” or a “couch”

Bibliography http://www.defenders.org/sea-otter/basic-facts http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal- information/sea- otter.html?gclid=CLSQoJT5y8wCFUpahgod7KAJVw?referrer=https://www.go ogle.com/ http://protecttheoceans.org/wordpress/?p=271 https://www.buzzfeed.com/seanf12/14-surprising-facts-about-sea-otters- a86v?utm_term=.odeywLgE7#.kx4pPdDnX http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/otter.html http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sea-otter/

Current Event Sea Otters aren’t just adorable mammals they are also intelligent and graceful. From the way they use rocks to break the shells of their food to the way they wrap themselves in the kelp. Otters are the only mammals which give birth in the water and they nurture their pups while floating on their backs belly up. Just like cats sea otters are extremely clean constantly cleaning their fur with their paws, teeth and the ocean, they do this because if their coat isn’t clean the otters are unable to stay waterproof and insulated against the cold. Sea otters were hunted to near extinction because of how valuable their fur is. It is one of the saddest of sights to see and hear how terrible people are to the creatures who live amongst us. Fur is not necessary to the point where animals should be slaughtered for it, humans take unnecessary advantage of the things we have around us. We need people to care for those animals who live with us because they are apart of our life cycle as well. It’s time to make a change because if we don’t start now then who will. Start by saving one creature at a time.