Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

Description: The charismatic sea otter is a favorite for wildlife viewers. They are known for their playful personalities and adorable appearance, but they also have a big impact on the marine ecosystem. Northern sea otters are slightly larger than southern sea otters. In the north, sea otters can be up to 1.5 m long and weigh 27 (female) to 39 (male) kg. They are tan to brown and are, more often than not, seen swimming on their backs in the water with their head and hind feet most visible. Their paws are webbed and wide but flat, perfect for kicking in the water. Under their forearms, they have a fold of loose skin they use as a pocket to hold rocks and other tools to break open their shelled prey. You can distinguish a sea otter from a river otter, (who are also spotted in the ocean), by looking for their large size, flippers, and round face. River otters are slim, resembling a weasel, and most often swim on their stomach rather than on their back, like sea otters.

Habitat: There are two subspecies of sea otter in the eastern Pacific (northern and southern), Oregon once had both. The fur trade of the 1800s wiped out the entire population in Oregon. Unfortunately, to this day, it is very rare to see sea otters on the Oregon Coast. As the sea otter populations in California and Washington have begun to recover, individuals have wandered to Oregon waters and hopefully they will repopulate the area. Sightings are most common in southern Oregon and the Newport area, but they have been reported on the northern coast as well. The Elakha Alliance is a non-profit organization currently looking into reintroducing sea otters back to Oregon.

Sea otters range from Alaska to southern California, with Oregon as the boundary between the northern and southern subspecies. Sea otters rarely come on land; they eat, sleep, and raise young in the ocean. Typically gathering in colonies, sea otters prefer to live around nearshore kelp beds.

Diet: As a top predator in kelp forests, sea otters are essential for keeping prey species populations in check and the forests healthy. Their diet is primarily composed of sea urchins, crabs, and clams. They use rocks as tools to open shells and access the food inside. Every day, sea otters eat about a quarter of their body weight!

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• The sea otter population on the west coast was heavily impacted by the fur trade and are still listed as endangered to this day.

• A sea otters coat can have up to one hundred thousand hairs per square centimeter (one million per square inch), making it the thickest fur of any animal. This helps keep them warm and dry while living in the cold waters.

• Around 90% of the world’s sea otters live off the coasts of Alaska.

References: Monterey Bay Aquarium, Department of the Interior