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