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Sea otters
By Ellie R
What is a sea otter.
 The sea otter inhabits offshore
environments, where it dives to the
sea floor to forage. It preys mostly on
marine invertebrates such as sea
urchins, various molluscs and
crustaceans, and some species of fish.
Its foraging and eating habits are
noteworthy in several respects. First,
its use of rocks to dislodge prey and to
open shells makes it one of the few
mammal species to use tools. In most
of its range, it is a keystone species,
controlling sea urchin populations
which would otherwise inflict extensive
damage to kelp forest ecosystems. Its
diet includes prey species that are also
valued by humans as food, leading to
conflicts between sea otters and
fisheries.
Diet?
 Fish are relatively insignificant in
their diets. Congo clawless otters
probably feed on fairly soft prey
items such as small land
vertebrates, frogs, and eggs. A sea
otter's diet consists mainly of slowmoving fishes and marine
invertebrates including crabs, sea
urchins, abalones, clams, mussels,
and snails.
Were do sea otters live?
 Sea otters live in shallow coastal waters
off the northern Pacific. Their historic
range stretched from Japan, along the
coast of Siberia and the Aleutian Chain
and down the Alaska, British Columbia,
Washington, Oregon and California coast
to Baja California
What do sea otters do.
 The heaviest members
of the weasel family,
sea otters are also the
second smallest marine
mammals. Unlike other
marine mammals, they
do not have a layer of
blubber to help them
keep warm. Instead,
sea otters have the
densest fur in the
animal kingdom,
ranging from 250,000
to a million hairs per
square inch, which
insulates .
Colours of sea otters.
 Sea otter fur ranges from
brown to almost black
with guard hairs that may
be silver, light brown, or
black. As a sea otter ages,
their hands and necks will
lighten until almost white.
What do sea otters love to do.
The sea otter inhabits offshore
environments, where it dives to the sea
floor to forage. It preys mostly on marine
invertebrates such as sea urchins, various
molluscs and crustaceans, and some
species of fish. Its foraging and eating
habits are noteworthy in several respects.
First, its use of rocks to dislodge prey and
to open shells makes it one of the few
mammal species to use tools. In most of its
range, it is a keystone species, controlling
sea urchin populations which would
otherwise inflict extensive damage to kelp
forest ecosystems. Its diet includes prey
species that are also valued by humans as
food, leading to conflicts between sea otters
and fisheries.
How they dive under water?
: Sea otters usually dive in
water that is less than 130
feet deep and within 1 1/2
miles of shore. However, they
can dive deeper - up to 300
feet deep and they are
occasionally seen farther from
shore.