California’s southern sea otter has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. For sure, these people will destroy the habitat of the sea otter. Like their Northern Sea Otter cousins, these mammals prefer to spend their day around the massive kelp forests located just offshore. Scientific Name Enhydra lutris. Sea otters in general have a varied diet but research has shown that individuals tend to specialize on a few main prey species and this specialization in prey preference is passed on from mother to pup. They are usually seen in rocky marine habitats where there is a high abundance of kelp canopy and typically in water depths about 20 m. Kelp canopy is an important habitat component used for resting and foraging. http://www/werc/usgs.gov/ProjectSubWebPage.aspx?SubWebPageID+1&ProjectID=, Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. Today southern sea otters have reclaimed about 13 percent of their historic range: the mainland coastline from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County, California, and San Nicolas Island, Ventura County (as a result of translocation efforts initiated in 1987). SURVEY REVEALS SOUTHERN SEA OTTER POPULATION DECLINE. A top layer of fur is long, waterproof hairs that keep the layer of underfur dry which helps with thermoregulation of the otter’s body temperature by keeping cold water away from their skin. Such as, when a human wants to build a house near the coast because he or she is a fisherman. The southern sea otter also spends a lot of their time in estuaries. There is a much larger population in Alaska, and sea otters are still found in Russia. The … Sea otters are related to skunks and weasels. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. Otters are usually found no more than a few hundred meters from water. 2010. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. The sea otter’s feet are webbed which are good for picking up speed in the water. Incidence of disease in sea otters is also correlated with contaminants such as tributyltin (used as an anti-fouling agent in boat paint), DDT (a banned pesticide) and PCBs. Still, they remain constrained to a geographically small area on the central coast of California relative to their former coast-wide range, with population numbers far below those of the estimated optimal sustainable population size. Pups begin diving for food at 2 months. Class: Mammalia They are usually seen in rocky marine habitats where there is a high abundance of kelp canopy and typically in water depths about 20 m. Kelp canopy is an important habitat component used for resting and foraging. There is a small population that lives south of Point Conception in the “No-Otter” management zone and a small “experimental” population of translocated lives at San Nicolas Island. Main Characteristics Of The Sea Otters Anatomy. Southern Sea Otter . Most sea otters remain in habitats with rocky substrate, as their prey tend to be more plentiful in these areas. The population is most secure in Russia. Southern sea otters inhabit shallow nearshore coastal ecosystems within 1-2 km from shore. The otter's habitat is in danger, though. Southern sea otters have been actively managed for their conservation and recovery since listing on the federal Endangered Species Act in 1977. Without sea otters, sea urchins can overpopulate the sea floor and devour the kelp forests that provide cover and food for many other marine animals. Northern sea otters are slightly larger than Californian otters. Southern sea otters live along a stretch of less than 400 kilometers (250 miles) of the California coast around Monterey Bay. Males otters are often seen hundreds of miles north and south of the current home range, recently near San Diego, in search of new territory. They also have pockets of loose skin under each foreleg for storing their tools and to hold prey it has found on the seafloor. Pups are often seen bobbing in the water or wrapped in kelp screeching for their mothers when they dive to forage for food. Historical Home Range – California to Baja, CA, Dedicated to Protecting the California Sea Otter, sea otters may be responsible for the relatively large size of abalones. In southern Chile the marine otter is found almost exclusively along exposed rocky seashores; farther north it may inhabit estuaries and fresh water. Pups are constantly groomed while resting upon their mother’s chest for the first 2 months. Southern Sea Otter. They eat 40 plus different types of species such as clams, urchins, and snails. However, abalones are restricted to deep crevices, out of reach of otter and human harvesters. They eat, rest, groom themselves, and breed in the water. Female otters give birth to a single pup nearly every year with peak pupping season from January through March. Sea otters are now legally free to expand into their former range. Adult males weight between 22 and 45 kilograms and measure from 1.2 to 1.5 meters.On the other hand the adult females usually weigh between 14 and 33 kilograms, and their length varies from 1 to 1.4 meters.. Family: Mustelidae Fish and Wildlife Service. Both northern and southern sea otters once inhabited the Oregon coast. Sea otter fur color varies in shades of brown turning silver-gray to white with age in males. The Ventura FWO website is a portal that provides information and guidance for the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife and plants, and their habitats. Sea Otters have very distinct habitats. The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals, but one of the largest members of the weasel family, Mustelidae. Because of their voracious appetite, they are occasionally accused of driving their prey species into decline by fishermen who compete for the same prey species. Hopefully not stinky skunks!!! Choose from high quality, high res, hd, widescreen, and other options. Sea otters have a specialized gland that secrets oil to enhance the water-repellent quality of the fur. Their teeth are strong enough to crunch open a clam shell or bite through a sea urchin's spines. They thrive in warm, coastal waters and usually remain within a kilometer from the shore. Rather than driving their extinction, sea otters may be responsible for the relatively large size of abalones in California, in comparison with other parts of the world. Currently, the California population numbers around 3,300 and is found from Half Moon Bay to Point Conception. Prepared in cooperation with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (OCS Study BOEM 2017-002) Open-File Report 2017–1001   and are the smallest marine mammal in North America. The otter's habitat is in danger, though. (19.8 kg). River otters (genus Lutra) inhabit all types of inland waterways, as well as estuaries and marine coves. Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California Open-File Report 2017-1001 Prepared in cooperation with Bureau of … The gestation period is about 6 months. Sea otters have been found to play a pivotal role in the habitat and marine life that inhabit a kelp forest. The otters' habitat hasn't really budged beyond their current central California enclave, however, over the past 20 years. Sea otters have a very high metabolic rate and must consume the equivalent of 20 to 30 % of their body weight per day to maintain their body heat. Sea otters are native to the coasts along the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean. Abalone numbers are often high within the sea otters range. That is … The population is most secure in Russia. They prefer the shoreline to the deeper waters. Species: Lutris Southern Sea Otter Range Expansion and Habitat Use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California By M. Tim Tinker, Joseph Tomoleoni, Nicole LaRoche, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Mike Murray, Michelle Staedler, and Zach Randell . They do however alter the distribution of prey species due to their predator-prey relationship. These critters live in kelp forests with water in the temperatures of 35 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Southern sea otters, also known as California sea otters, live in the waters along the central California coastline. Newborn pups cannot sink nor can they dive. Sea Otter Facts. Sea otters use rocks, other shellfish, or man-made objects to pry prey from rocks and use them as a hammer or anvil to break open the hard outer shell of some prey species. There is no surrogacy program for northern sea otters at this time at all, anywhere in the world. Prepared in cooperation with Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (OCS Study BOEM 2017-002) Open-File Report 2017–1001 Humans only have about 100,000 hairs in total on our heads. Photo Taken At Aquarium Of The Pacific, Long Beach, California. The life of a southern sea otter Sea otters spend most of their time near the shore. They typically use … Sea otters feed on a wide variety of marine invertebrates including clams, mussels, sea urchins, marine snails, crabs, and abalone. Sea Otters spend most of their life at sea, but will come ashore in bad weather or to avoid predators. Southern sea otter pup Langly was orphaned when her mother received a fatal bite from a great white shark. Males weigh 22-45 kg and are 1.2-1.5 m in length.   2. The sea otters have a flexible skeleton and their face is small and round. Population. This population, of roughly 2,400 individuals, is believed to be increasing at approximately 5 to 7 percent per year (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1996). A re-evaluation of the role of killer whales Orcinus orca in a population decline of sea otters Enhydra lutris in the Aleutian Islands and a review of alternative hypotheses. The population is most secure in Russia. Some researchers hypothesize that sea otters and their voracious appetites have played an important role in shaping the natural history of the California coastline and the Pacific Rim. But due to the fur trade, their numbers plummeted in the early 1900s. 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