Sea Otters

Meet Ollie and Olivia, my adopted Sea Otters :-)

Thank you Dawn :-)

Fun Facts

1. Two separate populations of sea otters live in North America: Alaska Sea Otters and the California Sea Otters.

2. The sea otter's brown to black fur is the finest and densest of any animal fur. On a large animal, there an estimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. A sea otter relies on its fur to keep it warm-it doesn't have blubber as other marine mammals do. Natural oils in a sea otter's fur repel water and trap tiny air bubbles, providing a layer of warm air between the otter's skin and the harsh elements of its environment.

3. Sea otters spend up to 48% of the daylight hours grooming their fur. They groom by rubbing fur with their forepaws. Their strong claws comb and rake the fur. Then they roll and whirl in the water to smooth their fur.

4. Sea otters sleep, rest, and usually swim on their backs. California sea otters spend almost all of their time in the water. Alaska sea otters often sleep, groom, and nurse on land.

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Created on May 11, 1999