Sea otters inhabit the shorelines that span across Alaska and Japan. These beautiful creatures display some interesting social behaviors, including caring for orphaned juveniles, matriarchal feeding trends, and delayed implantation.
Habitat and Distribution
Sea otters are native to the coasts along the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean. They prefer the shoreline to the deeper waters. They thrive in warm, coastal waters and usually remain within a kilometer from the shore. They protect themselves from ocean winds by living in rocky coastlines, barrier reefs, and thick forests of kelp. They choose areas that have rocky substrates.
Currently, the species has stable populations in Alaska, along the Russian east coast, Washington, British Columbia, and California. They have also been sighted in Japan and Mexico. In Russia, sea otters thrive along the Kuril, Kamchatka, and Commander Islands.
Diet
Sea otters eat a wide variety of foods. They feed heavily on marine invertebrates like sea urchins, bivalves, mussels, clams, abalone, mollusks, snails, and crustaceans. They also eat limpet crabs, pismo clams, and giant octopuses. Large quantities of fish and kelp round out their diet.
By eating animals that graze on kelp, sea otters help protect the health of kelp forests. Foraging methods and food preferences can differ between populations. In matriarchal groups, all members tend to follow the mother's eating habits, some even tackle large sea urchins.
Life Cycle
Sea otter males mate with multiple female partners. The bond between a pair, while the female is in estrus, is temporary. They mate in water, and the males can be quite rough on the females. They sometimes bite the female's muzzle (scarring the nose) and have even been seen to hold the female underwater for a long time.
Maximum births occur between May and June each year among the northern populations. Among the southern populations, the peak period is between January and March. The gestation period can be anywhere between four and twelve months. A unique feature of the sea otter is that females can delay implantation, which is then followed by four or five months of pregnancy. Sea otters can breed twice a year.
Pups and Growing Up
Most females produce a single pup. The pup weighs between 1.5 and 2.5 kg. Twins do occur, but they are rare. When twins are born, it has been observed that only one pup survives. Pups are born with their eyes open and a fine set of teeth. The mother grooms the pup's thick coat of fur by licking and fluffing it constantly. In about 12 weeks, the soft baby fur is shed and the youngster grows its adult coat.
The mother nurses the pup for six to eight months, then introduces it to bits of prey. She teaches the pup to swim and retrieve food. Juvenile mammals like these become independent by the time they reach eight months of age. There have been times when a mother abandons a pup due to a scarcity of food. Females carry the whole responsibility of feeding and raising the young, they may even take in orphaned pups.
Take the Sea Otter Life Cycle Quiz!
5 quick questions. Test what you know about sea otter habitats, diet, and pups.
Maturity and Lifespan
Female sea otters become sexually mature at four years, while the males take a month more. However, breeding takes place much later than first maturity. In the open, natural habitat, sea otters live up to a good 23 years, while in captivity they survive up to 20 years.
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Fun fact for today!Sea otters can hold paws while sleeping so they don't drift apart, a group of resting otters is called a raft!