They like to slide down riverbanks and in snow. Physical Description. The paws on a sea otter’s hind feet are webbed. Otter - Otter - Conservation and classification: Nearly all species of otters face increasing threat as urbanization and logging continue. The largest river otter is the North American river otter, ranging from 100 to 153 cm (39-60 in. Otters make several different sounds to communicate. Description of the River Otter. Let's find out about the description, size, lifespan, habitat and much more in Sea Otter … Unlike most other animals, otters are playful even as adults. River otters as a whole look quite similar to weasels. Just about everyone that seems them has a comment in that regard to make. The Sea Otter has two pairs of them. DESCRIPTION: Sea otters use their rear flippers to move and their flat, muscular tails to steer. The sea otter will generally live between 10 and 20 years, and maintain a relatively constant age structure. The sea otter’s fur also is designed to trap air to further insulate it from the cold water and to provide additional buoyancy. This information shows that the sea otter … Description & Behavior. It is 40–65 inches (100–160 cm) long and weighs A baby sea otter will cry when it is left alone. Photo by U.S. A sea otter’s range mass can be from 14-45 kg (30.84-99.12 lbs) and range in length from 1-1.5 meters (3.28-4.92 ft) (Allerga, Rath and Gunderson, 2012). Despite what many people believe, otters are not related to beavers. Males weigh 22-45 kg and are 1.2-1.5 m in length.Females are slightly smaller, weighing 14-33 kg and measuring 1-1.4 m in length. Sea Otter - Physical characteristics. They belong to the weasel family. Individuals can weigh as much as 45 kg. Adult males average about 75 lb (34 kg) but sometimes weigh as much as 99 lb (45 kg). The species displays a small degree of sexual dimorphism, with males being larger than females. The characteristics of the otter. Protection has permitted them to increase and reoccupy much of their former range. The fur of the sea otter is the densest of all mammals at about 350,000 to 1,000,000 hairs per square inch, compared to dogs that only have 1,000 to 60,000 hairs per square inch. Otters are long and slim animals that can be longer than a meter. They have four short legs. Otters have small, rounded ears, and long sensitive whiskers to help them feel the vibrations of their prey. Fur: A sea otter's fur is the thickest and finest of any mammal. Fish and Wildlife Service. Description. This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about sea otters across 25 in-depth pages. Since the 1990s, the southwestern stock of Alaskan sea otters has experienced a dramatic (up to 70% population) decline, most likely due to increased predation by killer whales. Despite its common name, the North American river otter is equally comfortable in either coastal marine or freshwater habitats. Sea otter, (Enhydra lutris), rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Otters are mammals that live in and around water. Description . Most have sharp claws on their feet and all except the sea otter have long, muscular tails. The sea otter has long whiskers and water-repellent coat that insulates the animal from freezing water. The forelimbs are short and similar to those of other otters, with a … 7. They have an exceptional sense of smell, hearing, and eyesight above water and below. Physical Description. A rescued sea otter pup is taken to Alaska SeaLife Center to be treated. They usually stay on all four legs, but they can stand up as well but they are expert swimmers and spend a lot of time in water. Sea otters, Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758), are the largest member of the Family Mustelidae (70 species of river otters, skunks, weasels, badgers, etc.) Secondly, oil spills result in the death of sea otters. People affect sea otter populations through direct shootings and trapping sea otters in fishing nets. Otters are found throughout Africa, North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. Description. ... All of the species except the Sea Otter feature three pairs of powerful incisors. A few survived in Alaska and California. Adult male Alaskan otters weigh 27 to 39 kg, while females weigh 16 to 27 kg. Sea otters are just as full of interesting characteristics as they are full of cuteness! Sea Otter Physical Description. First, one of the biggest threats to the existence of sea otters is humans. The muzzle has a set of thick vibrissae. These are ready-to-use Sea Otter worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the sea otters which are born swimmers with long, sleek, streamlined bodies with webbed feet. Otters are long and slim animals that can be longer than a meter. ). Alaskan sea otters are slightly larger than Californian otters. Sea otters’ diet includes sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they’re known to … They can be up to 100 pounds so they are the heaviest of all species. Floating on its back, it opens mollusks by smashing them on a stone balanced on its chest. The Sea Otter ranks as one of the smallest species of marine mammals. Sea Otter – Enhydra lutris Description. The large head has a blunt snout, and is connected to the body by a short, stocky neck. ... As a sexually dimorphic organism, male sea otters are larger in size than the females of this species. Distinctive Characteristics The sea otter is the most derived of the otters. Their most striking anatomical features are the powerful webbed feet used to swim, and their seal-like abilities holding breath underwater. 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 are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Many sea otters live near rocky sea bottoms and shorelines, where marine communities are extremely diverse. and are the smallest marine mammal in North America. The body of the sea otter is relatively long and heavy, making progress on land clumsy and slow. The sea otter uses air trapped between their hairs to keep themselves insulated in cold waters. Sea Otters :: MarineBio Video Library. The Dangers Faced By Sea Otters. These river otters are also a carnivorous mammal belonging to the Mustelidae family, and were first described in 1777 by the German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber.. Main Characteristics They usually stay on all four legs, but they can stand up as well but they are expert swimmers and spend a lot of time in water. The sea otter, however, rarely comes ashore, according to the San Diego Zoo. Description. Hissing or growling warns predators to back off. Sea otters are brown in fur color that often lightens with age . Sea Otters have very distinct habitats. It has short tail and webbed-feet with retractable front claws. Sea Otter Worksheets. North American river otters (L. canadensis) are still taken as part of the commercial fur trade, but the primary threats to others are the destruction of wetland habitats and pollution. Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands when sleeping to prevent drifting. Sea otters are found in two areas : The Pacific coasts of Russia and Alaska, and along the central California coast. They have very thick fur – near about 250,000 to one million hair per square inch. They have 850,000 to 1,000,000 hairs per square inch consisting of two layers, an undercoat and longer guard hairs. The Alaskan sea otter population numbered more than 100,000 in the 1980s. Its ears and nostrils are closed down in water. Sea otters catch the same shellfish, sea urchins, crabs, clams, and abalone, that indigenous peoples in Alaska and Canada need to eat. The Sea Otter has a small round face that is absolutely adorable. 5. 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! Sea Otter Facts For Kids. Otters are a species that belongs to the mustelids, meaning they’re related to ferrets, badgers, and minks. Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris), largest and most marine weasel, lives exclusively in shallow seas of the N Pacific, formerly from Japan to California.Ruthless hunting for their valuable pelts almost exterminated sea otters before 1900. They are also known as Common otters, North American River Otters or Canadian Otters, and their scientific name is. If the otter gets scared it may flip to its stomach or dive under the water. In a study done in Alaska, it was found that the most common age range was pups (0-1 years of age) as shown in figure 3. The sea otters usually live near the shore waters of the North Pacific, from Japan, north to the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula, then from Alaska down along the Pacific coast of North America to Baja, California. They have long, narrow bodies, with long tails and short legs. Description. Sea otters are incredibly clean and keep their waterproof coats in perfect condition. Instead they use them to crush and to grind the food. River otters range in size from about 87 to 153 cm (34-60 in.) Lacking blubber, otters have amazingly thick fur to assist in retaining heat. Otters will whistle or whine when upset or frustrated. Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight in food every day. Otter definition is - any of various largely aquatic carnivorous mammals (such as genus Lutra or Enhydra) of the weasel family that usually have webbed and clawed feet and dark brown fur. and 3 to 14 kg (7-31 lbs.). All of these characteristics help the sea otter move and get around on their backs. Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs. They don’t use their teeth to tear food though like many other animals do. Sea otters have no insulating fat, but trap air under their coasts as insulation. Beavers belong to the rodent family, and therefore have nothing to do with otters. Distribution The nostrils and ears of sea otters close in the water. Sea otters get around with their sandpaper like paws, webbed feet, and flat tails. The large hind feet are broad and flipperlike. Size. Otter Physical Characteristics. Sea Otter is the heaviest of the otters, reaching a maximum weight of 45 kg. 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. This helps the sea otter swim faster. The sea otter also hammers rocks against strongly gripping abalone shells to pry them off of rocks and feed on their tasty insides. It makes a shrill "wee" sound like a sea gull. However, it also represents the heaviest known type of mustelid. They have a thick fur coat that keeps them warm even in freezing water. Northern River Otters. Adult male California sea otters average 29 kg in mass, while females average 20 kg. Another underwater superlative: The sea otter is the only marine mammal capable of flipping over boulders on the sea floor—in this case to search out food. They have four short legs. 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