24 Facts About Sea otter

Sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean.

The recovery of the sea otter is considered an important success in marine conservation, although populations in the Aleutian Islands and California have recently declined or have plateaued at depressed levels.

Sea otter is the heaviest member of the family Mustelidae, a diverse group that includes the 13 otter species and terrestrial animals such as weasels, badgers, and minks.

The only living member of the genus Enhydra, the sea otter is so different from other mustelid species that, as recently as 1982, some scientists believed it was more closely related to the earless seals.

The modern sea otter evolved initially in northern Hokkaido and Russia, and then spread east to the Aleutian Islands, mainland Alaska, and down the North American coast.

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In some respects, though, the sea otter is more fully adapted to water than pinnipeds, which must haul out on land or ice to give birth.

The full genome of the northern sea otter was sequenced in 2017 and may allow for examination of the sea otter's evolutionary divergence from terrestrial mustelids.

Three subspecies of the sea otter are recognized with distinct geographical distributions.

The Asian sea otter is the largest subspecies and has a slightly wider skull and shorter nasal bones than both other subspecies.

Sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammal species, but it is the heaviest mustelid.

For its size, the male Sea otter's baculum is very large, massive and bent upwards, measuring.

Unlike most other marine mammals, the sea otter has no blubber and relies on its exceptionally thick fur to keep warm.

The sea otter has a metabolic rate two or three times that of comparatively sized terrestrial mammals.

Under each foreleg, the sea otter has a loose pouch of skin that extends across the chest.

At the surface, the sea otter eats while floating on its back, using its forepaws to tear food apart and bring it to its mouth.

Male sea otter is most likely to mate if he maintains a breeding territory in an area that is favored by females.

In 2004, a male sea otter took up residence at Simpson Reef off of Cape Arago for six months.

Sea otter muscles are specially adapted to generate heat without physical activity.

Sea otter habitat is preserved through several protected areas in the United States, Russia and Canada.

Many maritime indigenous cultures throughout the North Pacific, especially the Ainu in the Kuril Islands, the Koryaks and Itelmen of Kamchatka, the Aleut in the Aleutian Islands, the Haida of Haida Gwaii and a host of tribes on the Pacific coast of North America, the sea otter has played an important role as a cultural, as well as material, resource.

Sea otter pelts were given in potlatches to mark coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, and funerals.

The sea otter is a recurring figure in Ainu folklore.

The Ainu and Aleuts have been displaced or their numbers are dwindling, while the coastal tribes of North America, where the otter is in any case greatly depleted, no longer rely as intimately on sea mammals for survival.

The round, expressive face and soft, furry body of the sea otter are depicted in a wide variety of souvenirs, postcards, clothing, and stuffed toys.