The ocean's tool-using, fur-insulated, kelp-napping champion of survival.
Shiny intelligent eyes, a furry face bristling with whiskers, agile paws: few ocean animals could be more appealing to people than sea otters. Yet these gentle mammals have been hunted nearly to extinction in many places around the world. With protection, a few otter colonies are starting to make a comeback, but they still need our help to survive.
Where would a sea otter choose to live? Right on top of a kelp forest. Here otters can find shellfish and other food among the plants. Otters also wrap strands of kelp around their bodies to anchor themselves while sleeping; otherwise, they might float away.
People have been wearing animal skins almost as long as humans have existed. So when early trappers discovered the soft fur of sea otters in the 1700s, the slaughter was on. By 1911, when Russia, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States signed a treaty protecting sea otters, there were only a few thousand of these animals left alive.
An oil spill can be a disaster for sea animals, and they're especially deadly for sea otters. Unlike seals and whales, otters are not protected from the cold by a layer of fat. The air trapped in their fur is the only thing keeping them insulated from the frigid water. An oil slick not only poisons an otter's environment and food supply, but it also coats the otter's fur and keeps out the air it needs to stay warm. Sadly, most oiled otters die.
Tool users — Although otters have strong jaws and sharp teeth, it would be nearly impossible for them to crack open a thick abalone shell. Instead, they pick up a rock along with the shellfish they want to eat, and then bang the shell on the rock until it breaks. Only a few animals other than humans use tools, so that makes sea otters pretty smart.
Source: Microsoft Oceans (1995) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images, audio & clips restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright — non-commercial educational preservation. Credits & Acknowledgements