Sea otters often hang out together in large groups called rafts. Other otters give birth in dens. They use their rear flippers to move and their tails to steer. Otter babies are called pups. Otters can close off their ears and nose as they dive and swim underwater. North American and European river otters have been known to share dens with beavers—but the beavers do all the building. Otters weigh 35-90 pounds (males weigh more than females). There wasn’t enough kelp for the otters. When on water, these groups are called rafts, and the largest one ever recorded contained up to 2,000 sea otters. Pups remain dependent on their mothers for an average of six months. They are born weighing only 4.5 ounces (128 grams) for smaller species and 5 lbs. “Sea Otter Swim” is the 14th episode of the fourth season of Wild Kratts, originally airing on PBS Kids on April 27, 2016. As baby otters learn to swim, they stay in the water five to six hours, rest for an hour, then swim again. Enjoy the antics of our playful southern sea otters as they romp, tumble and wrestle like they do in the wild. To name a few, I met a slow-moving sloth, a big eared fox and even held hands with lovable little otters. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (30 to 100 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. Sea Otters play an important role in the ecosystem, and may even be mitigating some of the harmful environmental impacts of human activity. What Do Sea Otter Eat? Sea otter pups begin to learn to swim at around 4 weeks old. Otters occupy bays where the low tide zone is 2-2.5 meters, and trees and small shrubs create a shadow, stretching along the shore up to the water level. According to www.worldwildlife.org, “ sea otters will spend their entire life without leaving the water, but on occasion some come ashore and rest”. They swim to places that are less cold. So, a 50-pound otter would need to eat about 10-15 pounds of food per day. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. The sea otters are the best-groomed animals at Shedd—and in the ocean. 5. Thank you, it really was an amazing experience and I will definitely be back to see you guys and the Otters! Otters have 36 to 38 sharp teeth. Sea otters typically do not swim alone, they usually swim in rafts, all of them floating together. For sea otters, there is usually only 1 pup, more rarely 2 pups. Millions unable to avoid panned payroll tax scheme. Male otters will bite and hold females by the face or nose in order to mate with them, and researchers actually identify some female sea otters by the scars they have received from violent males. The water was too cold for them. Otters help protect kelp from sea … Where Do Otters Live in the Wild? The female is pregnant for about 4 months and gives birth in the water. Baby sea otters … Unlike fellow sea otters inhabit in the sea and next to it. To find food, sea otters may occasionally dive as deep as 250 feet and will use their sensitive whiskers to locate small … Because sea otters do not have any insulating fat, the fur is responsible for heat maintenance. Sea otter fur is the densest of all mammals, with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter. The pool is heated, and the staff cannot be nicer. Sea otters eat about 20-30% of their body weight each day. Overall it is the 106th episode of the series. Like most other mammals, sea otters will live based on … At Nurtured by Nature, you can have a one-of-a-kind animal encounter with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Otter Swim Tours are 3 hours long and include a guided tour around the facility, up close interactions with our animal ambassadors, and the chance to swim with our Asian small-clawed otters! While mothers and pups are usually solitary, sea otters can form social groups of up to a few dozen. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Sea otters’ diet includes sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams, which they’re known to crack open with a rock and eat while floating in the water. Sea Otters dive to the seafloor to obtain a variety of invertebrate animals. They choose rocky shores where powerful winds blow. After about eight months staying alongside their mothers, pups are weaned and on their own. Black man detained while jogging offered police job. Otters are quite flexible and can easily touch their nose to their tail. Sea Otter. This tour is a truly unique experience found nowhere else in Louisiana. Sea otter pups may begin to swim and take solid food at about four weeks, and dive at six weeks. crayfish, snails, and even rodents and birds, while sea otters only eat bottom-dwelling nearshore invertebrates that they forage for in the ocean, such as abalone, sea-urchins, and crabs. Sea otters have circular, furry faces with short noses, rounded eyes and ears, and long whiskers that assist in foraging for food. Instead of blubber to keep them warm in the cold Pacific Ocean, these marine mammals have the densest fur of any animal—up to 1 million hairs per square inch. The sea otter has the densest hair of any mammal known: 130,000 hairs per square centimeter of skin [That's about as many hairs on an entire … Growth rates in otters vary considerably between species, litters, sexes, and individuals. Sea otters are a social species—females and their pups are often observed spending time together in one group and males in another. Sea otters are the exception, giving birth in the water. Unlike seals, sea lions, and whales, sea otters do not eat under water, so they bring what they catch to the bright light at the water’s surface to process and consume. For North American river otters, a mother may have up to six pups. Otters live in all kinds of aquatic environments: rivers, lakes, wetlands, and even the maritime littoral zone. To stop themselves drifting away in their sleep, they use their hands to hold onto seaweed (or each other), creating a … The best time to see these Sea Otters swimming and playing in the water will be during their most active times which include: 11:15am, 12:45am, 1:45pm, and 2:45pm. Kelp keeps them warm. We empower our swimmers to do their best and to become the best people they can be through team work, good sportsmanship, respect for their teammates and competitors, and family participation. Sea otters must eat 25 percent of their body weight each day in order to stay alive. Sea otters can be found in Canada, California, Oregon, Washington State, Japan, and Russia. Read: Sea Otter Diagnosed with Asthma is Learning How to Use an Inhaler According to the Chester Zoo, all five of the otter pups are healthy and on their way to becoming well-developed otters. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. That means a 40-pound sea otter must eat 10 pounds of food each day! The most common prey of Sea Otters are sea urchins, mussels, abalone, clams, scallops, crabs, sea snails, chitons, octopus, and squid. 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Animals 3.1 Animation 3.1.1 Mentioned 3.2 Live Action 4 Trivia 5 Key Facts and Creature Moments 6 Gallery Jimmy reveals to the other Wild Kratts that he's not a very good swimmer. How do sea otters stay warm in the cold water? They swim mostly with their back feet, which leaves their hands free to do other things while swimming about. Sea otters are fascinating; critical animals in the marine ecosystem, they prowl the offshore kelp forests that grow along many coastlines and police the sea urchins and other herbivorous… It’s a matter of survival. Sea otters usually swim on their backs at the water's surface. Baby otters, called pups or kittens, stay with their mothers until they’re up to a year old, or until she has another litter. River otters swim on their stomachs, while sea otters swim mostly on their backs. Why did sea otters almost go extinct? Sources: Rockets player allowed woman in room Once you’re here on a vacation in paradise, make sure you take full advantage of the Otter encounters. The Santa Teresa Sea Otters is a Cabana swim team organized to provide a fun and competitive environment for young boys and girls of all swimming abilities. Otters are mammals and bear live young (pups). But, it’s the amazing nonprofit organization that founded this otter swim program that has left me feeling incredibly inspired. River otters can be found throughout most of the United States, expect the Arctic and deserts. Their thick fur keeps them warm. You may not have known how much you needed this video of a baby otter swimming, but the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago sure did.. Sea otters will often float in groups (called rafts) whilst they eat, rest and sleep. The most gregarious by far are sea otters, which are polygynous (males mate with multiple females). In the wild, sea otters sleep out on the water. And, whilst they are rafting, it is well known that they will all hold hands to stay together in their group. After a quick spin to wash off lingering debris from their hard-shelled invertebrate snack, sea otters dive … These allow them to eat and chew better, and digest food easily in their small stomachs. 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