Sea otters can reach a maximum length of 4.9 feet and can weigh up to 100 pounds. • To maintain its body temperature, the sea otter eats 25% to 35% of its body weight in single day. Since they don’t have a layer of blubber to keep them warm like most of their marine mammal cousins, these thick coats actually have the ability to trap air, forming a layer of cozy insulation to keep them otterly comfy. Sea otters, whose numbers were once estimated at 150,000 to 300,000, were hunted extensively for their beautiful fur between 1741 and 1911, and the world population fell to 1,000 to 2,000 individuals living in a fraction of their historic range. Notes: greytune reblogged this from ottersnjunk. The Sea Otter has brown or reddish brown fur. 9. This was stopped by the establishment of the International Fur Seal Treaty in 1911. Sea Otter fur is comprised of two layers, the long outer guard hairs, providing a protective covering and the dense and fine underfur. Early in the 20th century only 1,000 to 2,000 animals remained. Don't challenge an otter to a holding-your-breath competition! The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family, yet the smallest marine mammal in North America. North American Sea Otters are larger than Asian otters. A group of sea otters sleeping together is … Here are 5 fun & easy to remember facts about sea otters. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about sea otter faux fur? Sea otters have 850,000 – 1,000,000 hairs per square inch, the thickest fur or any mammal. Sea otters … When a mother leaves to go hunt for food, she will wrap her baby in kelp, leaving it to bob on the surface of the ocean like a cork. Sea otters are usually solitary but are sometimes seen in groups—gatherings of up to 2,000 have been observed along the coast of Alaska. You guessed it: blue. Fact2: Weighing between 30 and 100 pounds, the sea otter is the world’s smallest species of marine mammal. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. Time to decide: otters or lambs. See “Sea Otter photo” and read interesting facts about sea otters and their special role in the marine ecosystem. The Sea Otter has the thickest coat of fur of any mammal. The sea otter relies on another insulation method—a thick fur coat. Fun fact: An otter pup’s fur is so dense that it can’t dive underwater until it gets its adult fur. An otter pup's fur is too dense for it to swim underwater. 9. Sea otters have the densest fur of any mammal on earth, with 850,000 to one million hairs… Their fur is also waterproof. The lifespan of a wild sea otter is between 15 and 20 years. 2. Being on the shore or resting in the water, sea otters take care of their chic fur for a long time, comb and smooth it. Tagged with: otter fact, otter fact 6, sea otter, sea otters, animals, Share this post: Tweet. A sea otter’s fur is the densest of any animal on Earth, with an estimated 1 million hairs per square inch. So, their mother leaves them floating while she searches for food, until their adult fur grows in. It's time, people. The largest of this weasel family, sea otters weigh 31-100 lb (14-45 kg). Sea otters are inhabitants of the coastal zone of the Pacific Ocean in Canada, Japan, Russia, the USA, and are among the smallest marine mammals. North American Sea Otter is also more slender than other otter breeds. See more ideas about Sea otter, Otters, Otter love. Consider: The fur of the sea otter is denser than that of any other mammal, with some one million hairs per square inch (155,000 per sq cm). The most common sea otter faux fur material is faux fur. Sea otters learn to swim at 4 weeks of age. They have the densest fur of all mammals - this helps them maintain warmth in the ocean. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Sea otters eat up to 30% of their body weight in food per day to support their high metabolic rate. And still these cute creatures take care Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal species. See more ideas about sea otter, otters, otter love. Air trapped between these two layers stops the otter’s core temperature from dropping to dangerous levels. Sea otters have about one million hairs per square inch—about as much as one house cat! Hunted nearly to extinction by the fur trade, sea otters are endangered and currently exist in only a portion of their historic range. Baby Otters Otters Funny Otters Cute Baby Sloth Happy Animals Cute Baby Animals Funny Animals Sphynx Snow Leopard. Let’s take a closer look here with these 15 otter facts! A newborn pup needs constant attention and will stay with its mother for six months until it develops survival skills. Now they took to their boats in pursuit of fur so dense, and so valuable, it was known as “soft gold”: sea otter. See more ideas about sea otter, otters, otter love. Southern sea otters breed and pup year-round, while northern sea otter pups in Alaska are usually born in the spring. 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. Animals March Madness, Round One: Otters Versus Lambs. Populations in Canada and California are now doing well. This incredible fur almost led to the near extinction of the sea otter, which was hunted down to only a few colonies. Otters spend a large amount of time in the water, yet they still have fur. Sea otters are commonly spotted on WWF’s Alaska tours. Fortunately, Russia, Japan, Canada and the U.S. signed a treaty to ban the hunting of sea otters and fur seals in 1911, and the recovery of the species has been, for the most part, a success. Newborn sea otters weigh 3 to 5 pounds. Unfortunately, these attributes meant that Sea Otter fur became one of the most in-demand pelts. With nearly 1 million hairs per square inch this is the densest fun of any animal. Their velvety dense fur keeps them warm in the water. Most species of otters spend their time on the banks of rivers and other bodies of water when they’re not hunting. Archaeological evidence indicates that for thousands of years, indigenous peoples have hunted sea otters for food and fur. Mothers spend much of their time grooming their pups and are often observed carrying them on their chest. Sea otters have no insulating fat, but trap air under their coasts as insulation. Sea otters have great impact on the environment. You may have seen their somersaulting behavior, which is a means to trap air bubbles in their fur, adding the extra insulation they need. SEE ALSO: AMAZING FACTS ABOUT FUR… Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) were in a genetically perilous position long before the fur trade pushed the species towards extinction, genetic research reveals. This coat has two types of fur in it; underfur and guard hair. The front and back feet are fully webbed; large lungs allow long dives and provide buoyancy and thick fur provides insulation. Sea otter fur has about 1.6 to 2.6 million hairs per square cm, the thickest fur of any animal in the world.Physiology. The most popular color? 90% of all sea otters live on the coast of Alaska. There are 5 sea otter faux fur for sale on Etsy, and they cost $34.98 on average. 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. The tail is less than a third of the body length. 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! North American sea otters are something of a recent success story after they were brought close to extinction in the 19th century, widely hunted for their fur. Today, sea otters are protected by law. Sea otters mainly live in river basins. That’s the same as an average teenager eating 120 hamburgers. Fun Facts • Sea otters do not have blubber to keep warm, instead they have very dense fur (up to one million hairs per square inch). Sea otters are a medium-sized member of the Mustelidae family. This process actually makes the outer layer waterproof. When the otter swims, its coat traps a layer of air close to its body. Well you're in luck, because here they come. Apr 24, 2013 - Explore Christine Darnell Jewelry's board "Sea Otters" on Pinterest. Calans belong to the family Cunyi. Otters have the densest fur of the animal kingdom. Approximately one million pelts were collected during the 18th century. 3. Sea otters can stay underwater for 5 minutes, and river otters can hold their breath for even longer - 8 minutes! This is because, unlike its fellow marine mammals, it has no blubber to keep it warm. The hind legs are long with broad, flat webbed paws. 10. Sea Otter Facts: Sea otters are dark brown in appearance, often with light guard hair. Facts about Sea otters. 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. Sea otters were hunted for their fur to the point of near extinction. Find out if you are a sea otter specialist by checking your info against these fascinating sea otter facts. Without blubber for insulation against the freezing waters they inhabit sea otters rely on incredibly dense fur to keep themselves warm. Its fur is the densest of any animal on Earth—an estimated 1 million hairs per square inch. Sea otters can also drink salt water and thus can remain at sea for several days at a time. Aug 29, 2019 - Explore Sammy Jo Reilly's board "Sea Otter Facts & Activities" on Pinterest. The Sea Otter does not have a layer of blubber—instead it has the thickest coat of fur of any mammal in the world. Description . Jul 7, 2020 - Explore Marilyn Beason's board "Sea Otter" on Pinterest. These videos are bite-size fun facts about the ocean from your friends at the Monterey Bay Aquarium! A sea otter pup’s fur traps so much air that they cannot dive underwater. Weight of otter depends on their breed. Otter Fact #6. Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. 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