By this time there were only 1,000-2,000 sea otters left on Earth – they vanished from everywhere except the Aleutian Islands and California. Otters are super cute! Despite perils such as oil spills and high-speed ferries, the bay has plenty of safe spots for this charismatic threatened species 4 Answers. 7. Sea otters are basically the party animals of the sea: They're intelligent, rambunctious, chatty, curious, gregarious and they're unequivocally, objectively on the definitive shortlist of cutest adult animal — whoever's keeping track of that inventory these days. The Sea Otter has a small round face that is absolutely adorable. While sea otters do well in captivity, they are struggling in the wild. When sea otters are underwater foraging for food, they make use of the loose skin under their armpits, using the area like pockets to store food as they continue their search. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning if they are removed from an ecosystem the whole systems could fall apart. With only 3,000 southern sea otters left in the wild today, every otter counts! Anonymous. “Unfortunately, we still don’t know how many sea otters are left and we are doing far too little to help them recover from the brink of extinction,” said Steve Shimek, executive director of The Otter Project. The longest recorded sea otter dive was 4 minutes, 2 and the deepest recorded sea otter dive was 318 feet (97 m) deep. To learn more about the reintroduction of sea otters in British Columbia, read our corresponding article in Issue 15 of Oceanographic Magazine, ‘Ancient Coexistence: Otters and First Nations.” Photographs from top to bottom, left to right: James Thompson, Shari Green, Edward Gregr, Ingrid Taylar, Luc Tribolet. "Sea otters were introduced and then just left to be, and they did what they did," said Jane Watson, an adjunct professor of marine ecology at Vancouver Island University who has monitored the impact of B.C. Many people find this particular Otter to be different in size and shape from others. Otter babies are called pups. Size: Up to 5 feet long, including a 1 foot long tail. Wild sea otters typically have a lifespan between 15 and 20 years. They do most of their foraging within about half a mile of shore. Today, southern sea otters live along the central coast of California; northern sea otters live along the coasts of Washington, Canada, and Alaska. Sea Otter The Northern Pacific Ocean is the primary location where you will find the Sea Otter. The world sea otter population rapidly tumbled until the establishment of the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911, an international treaty that restricted the hunting of furred mammals. There are about 100,000 sea otters left. There are 13 known species of Otters left in the world with at least one that was removed from the list due to extinction. The small-clawed otter, an Asian species that in the wild hunts for fish, has grown in popularity across the globe.People pay thousands of dollars for this exotic pet and online trade encourages pet ownership. Sea otters, in turn, are equally voracious predators of sea urchins. Weighs up to 100lb. Sea otters are what is known as a keystone species. ... As long as there is plenty for the Otters … Sea otters can sometimes be seen off sandy beaches — and even local harbors. Once containing more than half of the world’s sea otters, this population segment, which ranges from Kodiak Island through the western Aleutian Islands, has undergone an overall population decline of at least 55–67 percent since the mid-1980s. So please, don't kill the sea otters, because if you kill multiple, then all the kelp will vanish, and that would be terrible! Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Distribution. So are dolphins, whales, sea turtles, polar bears and many, many more. Favorite Answer. Sea otters play a vital role in the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystem as a keystone species; Sea otter fur is the densest of any mammal at about 1 million hairs per square inch (We have 100,000 hairs on our entire head). Sea otter numbers have declined in southwestern Alaska over the past 20 years. If we’re going to stop these plans, we have to take action now. Enhydra lutrisSea otters live in the nearshore marine ecosystem. "Otters have a little pouch under their left armpit in which they can store things like rocks and food while are swimming. Time for more Math Class with Professor Skience! g l. 1 decade ago. 5. Sea otters can eat 25 to 30 percent of their body weight in one day, which would be equivalent to a 175-pound human eating 45 pounds of food in one day. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. 's otters more extensively than anyone over the past 30 years. Answer Save. California’s sea otters acquire many infectious diseases because of elevated pathogen and contaminant pollution levels in nearshore waters. Both northern and southern sea otters once inhabited the Oregon coast. Habitat: Kelp Beds . Actually they have a pouch under each armpit, but they seem to be right-handed, so they tend to use the left armpit to store things." Aonyx cinereus), also known as the oriental small-clawed otter or simply small-clawed otter, is a semiaquatic mammal native to South and Southeast Asia.It is a member of the otter subfamily (Lutrinae) of the weasel family (Mustelidae), and is the smallest otter species in the world. There are now only about 3,000 of California's southern sea otters left. They are born weighing only 4.5 ounces (128 grams) for smaller species and 5 lbs. 1. Without sea otters, the animals they prey on would completely destroy the kelp forests. Sea Otters as a Keystone Species. A sea otter rests on its back with its head, arms and flippers in the air, and looks like two lumps close together. The sea otter can usually be found in kelp beds, and looks very much like lumps of kelp. 1 decade ago. Throughout South America is where you will find the Giant Otter. Sea otters and other ocean animals are … African Clawless Otter For that reason they are often mistaken for another type of animal. why. 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