Everyone loves the playful, charming sea otter. With their inquisitive faces and intelligent mannerisms, they are hard to resist. But, during the early 18th and 19th centuries, they were nearly hunted to extinction by fur trappers. It wasn’t until the international Fur Seal Treaty of 1911 that they were offered protection from being wiped out. While their numbers have rebounded, they are still far below their original populations.
Otter Fun Facts:
- Their fur is among the densest in the animal kingdom. Spending time in cold water means they need extra insulation, and their fur features from 350,000 to 1,000,000 hairs per square inch.
- They are deep divers. When searching for food, they can dive up to 330 feet down!
- They’re smart. Otters are one of the few non-primate mammals to use tools, using stones or rocks to open clams and the other shellfish they eat.
- They have a very healthy appetite. In order to maintain their body temperature, otters have to eat 20-25 percent of their body weight every day.
- They are considered a keystone species, meaning they help maintain the balance of the forest ecosystem. Sea urchins can wipe out a kelp forest so, by eating the sea urchins, otters are keeping the kelp healthy.
Being such a valuable member of the environmental support system makes the otter’s protected status all the more vital. While they so have some natural predators, it is the threat from man that is the most dire. Fishermen see this furry creature as competition and some will use fishing nets designed to snag and drown the otters. Others will kill them if the small mammal gets too close to where the fisherman is working, just to keep the otter from feeding. These practices are neither legal nor encouraged, of course, but they happen just the same.
Another threat to the sea otter is oil spills. Like sea birds, oil coating their fur is a death sentence to the otter. The oil causes their fur to mat and lose its insulating quality. An affected otter will quickly die from hypothermia if not rescued and cleaned. The Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound in 1989 resulted in the deaths of several thousand sea otters.
Thanks to the Endangered Species Act, the otter continues to rebound. With continued vigilance and protection, this playful creature will thrive and maintain its important role in the ecosystem.
Related articles: The Battle of the Otter and the Caiman also North American River Otter Fast Facts
Featured Image from Anchor Lee/Unsplash
