Sea Otter

by Tomasz

Introduction

The Sea Otter is a threatened mammal, that lives along the West coast of Vancouver Islands and the Queen Charlotte Islands. In 1978, about 100 Sea Otters with young were seen in two groups in these areas.

Appearance

The male Sea Otter weighs about 65 pounds and the female weighs about 45 pounds. It 's the largest member of the weasel family in Canada. They have strong canine teeth for tearing food, and they have flat molars for crushing . They have excellent hearing capability and a flattened tail flipper letting them be agile in the water. They have forepaws and claws like a cat's for grooming and eating. They have extremely thick fur (about 600,000 hairs per square inch). They have an old man look because of their whiskers.

Habitat

The Sea Otter lives in salt water of the North Pacific coast, from Japan, across the Aleutian Islands down the west coast of Canada, and the United States, as far south as Baja, California. The Sea Otter is found in shallow coastal areas, where there are plenty of shellfish and sea urchins.

Food

Sea Otters eat clams, oysters, mussels, and sea urchins. The Sea Otter crushes mollusks and sea urchins with their large teeth. They use tools like rocks, other shellfish and man-made objects to break shellfish. These are also used as hammers or anvils.

Why Threatened

The Sea Otter is a threatened animal, because of oil spills in the ocean. The oil causes fur to fall out, and if oil is on their fur when they are grooming the animal will swallow the oil and they will die. The Sea Otter's pelt is one of the most highly prized furs, and during the first half of the 20th century they were all most hunted to extinction.

What Can We Do To Help

We can help by preventing oil spills, and telling the government to pass a laws to protect the Sea Otters and to stop the hunters from hunting them for their fur.

Bibliography

Collesyn, Q. Mastin. Endangered Species. Canada: Grasshopper Bask Publishing, 1953.

Otter facts http://www.seaotter.org-facts. html

Sea Otter ,''Microsoft Encarta 96 Encyclopedia 1993- 1995 CD Rom

Wildlife viewing locations and Photography tips http://www.sea otter.org/facts. html