Things you Otter know
The Life of a sea otter
Things you Otter know
Marine Mammal Rescue Centers provide critical medical treatment, hospitalization, and rehabilitation to sick, injured, and stranded marine mammals they have rescued along oceanic coastlines.
These facilities play a critical role in ocean conservation and preservation of marine ecosystems that are essential to our oceans. By studying marine life, scientists can determine the health of oceanic ecosystems, often making determinations on external factors that impact or threaten marine life.
Many of these organizations conduct research to develop new techniques in hopes of improving patient care. They also study how marine mammals interact with their surroundings to understand causes of stranding, and how to better protect them from possible threats.
Even though the rehabilitation of a marine mammal may have been successful, there are times when it cannot be released back into the ocean environment.
There are a variety of factors that could affect this determination. Sometimes an injury, although healed, may have left the animal in a physical state such that it could no longer effectively hunt for food, or protect itself from a predator. Or, if the animal had been found abandoned as a pup, the absence of maternal care may render it lacking the skills necessary to survive in the wild.
Government agencies maintain the authority to deem a marine mammal “non-releasable” and, in those instances, the animal is typically placed under human care at a zoo or aquarium. Required to adhere to government regulations and maintain certifications, these facilities ensure ethical treatment and care for all of their residents.
These animals often go on to become ambassadors for their species to help educate with regard to marine life and conservation issues.
Staff create engaging activities for the animals to do to keep their minds active. The sea otters also learn husbandry behaviors so they can participate in their own health care and medical examinations.
The Seagoing Environmentalist
Sea otters help keep ecosystems healthy, and also often give clear indications of ocean health. Sea otters are a keystone species, playing a critical role in the overall function of an ecosystem.
In this case, the presence or absence of a sea otter population can be inferred by examining the sea urchin population and the condition of the kelp forests in the ocean. If uncontrolled, the sea urchin population will devour the kelp forests, creating a wasteland and leaving many other sea creatures without a place to live.
Sea urchins are often a favorite snack of the sea otter. So, if a sea otter community is in place, they control the sea urchin population which allows the kelp forests to thrive, which gives shelter for others.
The Life of a sea otter
There are two significant ranges of sea otters; Northern and Southern. The differences between them are minimal, but significant.
Although both are the same species, they are each a different subspecies living in separate geographic populations.
Northern sea otters are found along the coast of Washington and Alaska, and Southern sea otters roam along the central coast of California.
Southern sea otters are a bit smaller than their cousins that live to the north, and their diets differ slightly.
Sea otters float at the surface of the ocean in groups called rafts. In the wild, these rafts can vary in size from 10-100 otters, and are usually grouped by gender - so the male sea otters stick together, while the females hang out with their pups.
They sometimes hold paws to avoid becoming separated. This also helps to keep their paw pads warm, which aids in maintaining an optimal body temperature.
Sea otter pups are dependent on their moms for about the first six months of life. During that time they learn essential life skills such as diving, hunting, grooming, and safety.
Pups are born with a lanugo coat that keeps them buoyant, and able to remain floating on the water’s surface without assistance.
When it’s time to forage for food, the sea otter mom will wrap her pup in kelp, keeping it anchored in the same place until she returns. Early in life, a pup will vocalize to express needs or call fo help.
Because sea otters do not have blubber to keep them warm, they rely on their dense fur coat and high metabolism.
They eat approximately 25% of their body weight each day in order to take in the calories necessary to maintain warmth in the cold ocean environment. In human terms, that’s about 10 pizzas! A sea otter can spend 25-50% of the day hunting for food.
Under human care, a sea otter’s menu includes squid, shrimp, capelin, calamari, pollock, clams, scallops, krill, and a variety of treats frozen into ice.
In the wild, their diet may not be quite so diverse. They mainly hunt sea urchins, abalone, clams, crabs, mussels, and sea stars.
Sea otters can dive up to about 300 feet and remain underwater for about 2 minutes or so when it’s time to hunt for food.
To be a more efficient hunter, a sea otter may focus on one or two types of prey that are plentiful in the area at the time.
They store their food in pockets - folds of skin underneath their forelegs - until they return to the surface of the water to eat. Using their tummy as a table, they create a floating buffet.
Sea otters are the only marine mammal capable of lifting and turning over rocks, aiding the process of mealtime. They are also the only marine mammal to catch fish with its paws or chew its food.
Sea otter pups learn to hunt from their mothers, so they may have differing skills and different food preferences.
Sea otters are equipped with unique features that allow for survival in the wild.
A thick, dense fur coat along with a high metabolism compensate for the absence of the layer of blubber that other marine mammals have.
Keeping that coat in top condition is critical to a sea otter’s health. Grooming and fluffing their fur helps separate the millions of hairs, trapping air next to their skin. The air is then heated by the body, creating a barrier or warmth in the cold environment. A sea otter may spend about 15% of the day caring for its fur.
Flippers and tails allow for swift diving and swimming, and semi-retractable claws embedded in their forepaws are helpful for hunting, grooming, and using tools..
The ability to close their nostrils and ears makes diving beneath the water more comfortable.
A keen sense of smell and sensitive whiskers to detect vibrations under water help to locate food.
Sea otters also have very sensitive pads on their forepaws, which also help when hunting. With a rough texture, they help to grip rocks; but, their delicacy helps to identify prey in murky waters.
A sea otter can spend its entire life in the water, but it can also move around - albeit a bit clumsily - on land.
While in the water a sea otter may be seen sculling. That is, calmly floating on its back, occasionally swishing its tail to cause movement.
Always resourceful, a sea otter my wrap itself in kelp while resting or eating. This prevents drifting away or becoming separated from a group.