Habitat
Sea otters usually live near coasts in North America and Siberia. They are often found in kelp forests. They will live in waters with either rocky or soft bottoms.
Diet
Sea otters are carnivores, which means they eat meat. They will eat almost any seafood they can find in the kelp forest. They eat animals such as clams, crabs, octopus, squid, sea stars, fish and more. Sea otters need to eat often. They will eat almost a quarter of their weight every day. Although sea otters will drink ocean water, they get most of their water from eating their prey.
A sea otter can dive up to 180 feet deep for food and can stay underwater as long as four minutes. They use their front paws to grab and hold their prey. Sea otters open shellfish in lots of ways. They use their teeth or their paws, and may pound one clam or mussel against another. A sea otter also may balance a rock on its belly and hit the shellfish against it.
A sea otter can dive up to 180 feet deep for food and can stay underwater as long as four minutes. They use their front paws to grab and hold their prey. Sea otters open shellfish in lots of ways. They use their teeth or their paws, and may pound one clam or mussel against another. A sea otter also may balance a rock on its belly and hit the shellfish against it.
Movement
The sea otter swims using its flipper-shaped back feet as paddles. It eats and sleeps while floating on its back. Sea otters sometimes sleep in the kelp. When a female has a baby, she will carry it on her chest while she swims on her back.
Description
Sea otters can be 4 to 5 feet long. Females weight 60 to 85 pounds, and males can weigh up to 100 pounds. They have extremely thick brown fur which keeps their skin dry and warm. The fur on their face is often a lighter color. They also have flipper-shaped hind feet. Their whiskers and paws are very sensitive to help them find prey in the water.
Enemies
Orcas, sea lions, and great white sharks sometimes kill sea otters. Bald eagles will sometimes eat sea otter pups by snatching them from the water.
Sea lions are sometimes killed by humans for their valuable fur. They are also endangered by humans when oil is spilled into the water.
Sea lions are sometimes killed by humans for their valuable fur. They are also endangered by humans when oil is spilled into the water.