northern sea otter

The South central population spans from west of Glacier Bay to the eastern edge of Cook Inlet. … Creatures » Cellular Organisms » Eukaryotes » Opisthokonts » Animals » Bilateria » Deuterostomes » Chordates » Vertebrates » Jawed Fish » Bony Fish » Lobe Finned Fishes » Terrestrial Vertebrates » Amniotes » Synapsids » Therapsid » Cynodonts » Mammals » Therians » Eutherian » Placental » Boreoeutheria » Laurasiatheria » … It is nursed by its mother for six months to a year, but can begin foraging in shallow water habitats as soon as six … Sea otters eat about 25% of their weight every day, and is arguably the number one cause in sea otter deaths, when they cannot forage enough food to feed themselves. The pattern of disappearances is consistent with a rise in predation, but there has been no direct evidence of orcas preying on sea otters to any significant extent. [125] If populations continued to grow and ESA delisting occurred, southern sea otters would still be fully protected by state regulations and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which set higher thresholds for protection, at approximately 8,400 individuals. In the 1980s, the area was home to an estimated 55,000 to 100,000 sea otters, but the population fell to around 6,000 animals by 2000. [91] They are found most often in areas with protection from the most severe ocean winds, such as rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests, and barrier reefs. [92] Although they are most strongly associated with rocky substrates, sea otters can also live in areas where the sea floor consists primarily of mud, sand, or silt. [16][49][55] Prevention of oil spills and preparation to rescue otters if one happens is a major focus for conservation efforts. [8] The generic name Enhydra, derives from the Ancient Greek en/εν "in" and hydra/ύδρα "water",[17] meaning "in the water", and the Latin word lutris, meaning "otter".[18]. Date issued: August 2013 . However, in southwest Alaska, sea otters have experienced a sharp population decline in the last 20 years. [183] In some areas, sea otters are popular tourist attractions, bringing visitors to local hotels, restaurants, and sea otter-watching expeditions. These plans were abandoned after many translocated otters died and also as it proved impractical to capture the hundreds of otters which ignored regulations and swam into the zone. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, E. l. kenyoni, the northern sea otter, is found from Alaska's Aleutian Islands to Oregon and E. l. nereis, the southern sea otter, is native to central and southern California. Threats Sea otters were hunted for their fur in the 18th and 19th century, nearly driving the species to extinction. [123] Then, in response to lawsuits filed by the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center and the Otter Project, on 19 December 2012 the USFWS declared that the "no otter zone" experiment was a failure, and will protect the otters re-colonizing the coast south of Point Conception as threatened species. [16], The small geographic ranges of the sea otter populations in California, Washington, and British Columbia mean a single major spill could be catastrophic for that state or province. [142][143] Its prey ranges in size from tiny limpets and crabs to giant octopuses. The harvest of these otters is allowed to the native people only for personal uses, craftwork, trading or making … [121], Sea otters are a classic example of a keystone species; their presence affects the ecosystem more profoundly than their size and numbers would suggest. [172], In the Aleutian Islands, a massive and unexpected disappearance of sea otters has occurred in recent decades. In a kelp forest, sea urchins can graze on the kelp and eat their holdfasts, resulting in deforesting the kelp from an area. In studies performed at Amchitka Island in the 1960s, where the sea otter population was at carrying capacity, 50% of food found in sea otter stomachs was fish. Here at the Aquarium, our sea otters are southern, or California, sea otters. They can swim as close as six feet off shore along the Olympic coast. [116][117] Historical records revealed the Russian-American Company sneaked Aleuts into San Francisco Bay multiple times, despite the Spanish capturing or shooting them while hunting sea otters in the estuaries of San Jose, San Mateo, San Bruno and around Angel Island. Your Northern Sea Otter stock images are ready. [196] Nyac died in September 2008, at the age of 20. This pouch also holds a rock, unique to the otter, that is used to break open shellfish and clams. [96] "Yezo" refers to the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. She loves collecting things, especially cute things. [140] However, male and female otters have been confirmed by scientists off shores of the Baja Peninsula in a 2014 study, who hypothesize that otter dispersed there beginning in 2005. The fur trade that began in the 1740s reduced the sea otter's numbers to an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 members in 13 colonies. [181], The debate is complicated because sea otters have sometimes been held responsible for declines of shellfish stocks that were more likely caused by overfishing, disease, pollution, and seismic activity. [47] The Russians found the sea otter far more valuable than the sable skins that had driven and paid for most of their expansion across Siberia. [41] Other observations indicate the sea otter's sense of sight is useful above and below the water, although not as good as that of seals. Increasing sea otter abundance creates competition and conflict with fisheries and native Alaskans, with crabbing and sea urchin hunting the main concerns. [74], Females become sexually mature at around three or four years of age and males at around five; however, males often do not successfully breed until a few years later. Sea otters have been found to play a pivotal role in the habitat and marine life that inhabit a kelp forest. Lyapunova, R.G. [56] There, the sea otter eats while floating on its back, using its forepaws to tear food apart and bring it to its mouth. [93] Their northern range is limited by ice, as sea otters can survive amidst drift ice but not land-fast ice. The Southwest population stretches from the western edge of Cook Inlet out the Aleutian Islands. In 2004, USFWS proposed listing the southwest Alaska northern sea otter under the ESA, and in 2005, the population was listed as threatened. When Ezo Red Fox, Serval and Reindeer are swimming at the beach, Serval is pulled … [100] By 2013, this population exceeded 1,100 individuals, was increasing at an estimated 12.6% annual rate, and its range included Aristazabal Island, and Milbanke Sound south to Calvert Island. Sea otter numbers have declined in southwestern Alaska over the past 20 years. [153], Sea otters affect rocky ecosystems that are dominated by mussel beds by removing mussels from rocks. 6. A deceased sea otter was also found in the area and a necropsy is being performed to determine if it died due to oil exposure. The translocated population is estimated to have declined to between 10 and 43 individuals before increasing, reaching 208 individuals in 1989. Northern sea otters possess longer mandibles (lower jaws) while southern sea otters have longer rostrums and smaller teeth. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that the population should exceed 3,090 for three consecutive years. Loss of the habitat and nutrients provided by kelp forests leads to profound cascade effects on the marine ecosystem. Sea otters may help mitigate effects of climate change by their cascading trophic influence[151], Reintroduction of sea otters to British Columbia has led to a dramatic improvement in the health of coastal ecosystems,[152] and similar changes have been observed as sea otter populations recovered in the Aleutian and Commander Islands and the Big Sur coast of California[153] However, some kelp forest ecosystems in California have also thrived without sea otters, with sea urchin populations apparently controlled by other factors. The front paws are short with retractable claws, with tough pads on the palms that enable gripping slippery prey. [57], The sea otter's use of rocks when hunting and feeding makes it one of the few mammal species to use tools. Sea otter pelts were given in potlatches to mark coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. [101] In 2017 the US Geological Survey found a 3% drop in the sea otter population of the California coast. Wild sea otters typically have a lifespan between 15 and 20 years. It has a period of foraging and eating in the morning, starting about an hour before sunrise, then rests or sleeps in mid-day. However, this translocation effort failed and otters soon again disappeared from the state. [121] The plan that authorized the translocation program had predicted the carrying capacity would be reached within five to 10 years. Average weight of an adult female California sea otter is about 50 lbs. [103] By 2006, though, the Alaska population had fallen to an estimated 73,000 animals. [130][131] As of spring 2010, the northern boundary had moved from about Tunitas Creek to a point 2 km southeast of Pigeon Point, and the southern boundary has moved from approximately Coal Oil Point to Gaviota State Park. [95], The sea otter population is thought to have once been 150,000 to 300,000,[19] stretching in an arc across the North Pacific from northern Japan to the central Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. The playful North American river otter is equally at home in the water and on land. [59] The liver, kidneys, and lungs of sea otters also become damaged after they inhale oil or ingest it when grooming. The Southeast stock can be found in the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. In marine protected areas, polluting activities such as dumping of waste and oil drilling are typically prohibited. The Northern Sea Route (Russian: Се́верный морско́й путь, Severnyy morskoy put, shortened to Севморпуть, Sevmorput) is a shipping route officially defined by Russian legislation as lying east of Novaya Zemlya and specifically running along the Russian Arctic coast from the Kara Sea, along Siberia, to the Bering Strait.The … An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). [142] In most of its range, the sea otter's diet consists almost exclusively of marine benthic invertebrates, including sea urchins, fat innkeeper worms, a variety of bivalves such as clams and mussels, abalone, other mollusks, crustaceans, and snails. [173], Many facets of the interaction between sea otters and the human economy are not as immediately felt. In 2002, they expanded the candidate stock to include all sea otter populations in southwest Alaska. Although it can walk on land, the sea otter is capable of living exclusively in the ocean. Once containing more than half of the world’s sea otters, this population segment, which ranges from Kodiak Island through the western Aleutian Islands, has undergone an overall population decline of at least 55–67 percent since the mid-1980s. In a kelp forest, sea urchins can graze on the kelp and eat their holdfasts, resulting in deforesting the kelp from an area. Sea otter pup can emit a strong high-pitched call when in distress or separated from its mother. [110] On 18 February 2009, a male sea otter was spotted in Depoe Bay off the Oregon Coast. A sea otter can consume up to 11kg of food … [176], Sea otter habitat is preserved through several protected areas in the United States, Russia and Canada. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal living near the shores of the North Pacific, from northern Japan, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka east across the Aleutian Islands and along the North American coast to Mexico.It has the thickest fur in the animal kingdom. [6] Genetic analysis indicates the sea otter and its closest extant relatives, which include the African speckle-throated otter, European otter, African clawless otter and oriental small-clawed otter, shared an ancestor approximately 5 million years ago. Within Alaska, there are 3 stocks. A major Ainu epic, the Kutune Shirka, tells the tale of wars and struggles over a golden sea otter. Currently, the most stable and secure part of the sea otter's range is Russia. For one of the smallest marine mammals on Earth (yet the largest member of the weasel family), the sea otter has racked up quite a few superlatives: 10. Tinker, M. T., et al. Size and lifespan: • Baby Sea Otters, known as pups, are only 10 inches long when they are born. Sea Otters lick and fluff their newborn for hours, causing their pup’s fur to retain enough air to act as a floatation device. 6. Box 1329 , Seward, AK 99664, Phone: (907) 224-6300 • Toll Free: (800) 224-2525 • Fax: (907) 224-6320, Legal Name: Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science, 501 (c)(3) Tax ID: 92-0132479 Privacy Policy, Save the Center Organization & Corporate Donors. The northern sea otter inhabits coastal waters of the northern Pacific Ocean and is the largest member of the Mustelidae family. [55], The sea otter hunts in short dives, often to the sea floor. [1] [167] Prices rose as the species became rare. Their scientific name is, Emhydra Lutris kenyoni. Most Sea Otter "raft" in kelp beds with other otters. In some areas, massive declines in shellfish harvests have been blamed on the sea otter, and intense public debate has taken place over how to manage the competition between sea otters and humans for seafood. Cold water is kept completely away from the skin and heat loss is limited. In addition, white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni), a species never overlapping with sea otter, had declined in numbers 99% by 1996, and became the first marine invertebrate to be federally listed as endangered. [189] These links have been associated with the many human-like behavioral features of the sea otter, including apparent playfulness, strong mother-pup bonds and tool use, yielding to ready anthropomorphism. Under Aleksandr I, the administration of the merchant-controlled company was transferred to the Imperial Navy, largely due to the alarming reports by naval officers of native abuse; in 1818, the indigenous peoples of Alaska were granted civil rights equivalent to a townsman status in the Russian Empire. 1. … [25], Unlike most other marine mammals, the sea otter has no blubber and relies on its exceptionally thick fur to keep warm. Fish and Wildlife Service is the federal agency responsible for maintaining healthy populations of sea otters. Males become sexually mature at 4–6 years of age. [145] However, south of Alaska on the North American coast, fish are a negligible or extremely minor part of the sea otter's diet. [28] As the ability of the guard hairs to repel water depends on utmost cleanliness, the sea otter has the ability to reach and groom the fur on any part of its body, taking advantage of its loose skin and an unusually supple skeleton. Russian fur-hunting expeditions soon depleted the sea otter populations in the Commander Islands, and by 1745, they began to move on to the Aleutian Islands. The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. Adults may grow up to 5 feet in length, males weighing 80–100 lbs. Its fur is the densest of any animal on … Within Alaska, there are 3 stocks. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. [76] A pup, with guidance from its mother, practices swimming and diving for several weeks before it is able to reach the sea floor. Ninety percent of the world’s sea otters live in Alaska’s coastal waters. [166] When Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, the Alaska population had recovered to over 100,000, but Americans resumed hunting and quickly extirpated the sea otter again. [24] It is the only marine animal capable of lifting and turning over rocks, which it often does with its front paws when searching for prey. Northern Sea Otter makes a brief appearance during a single chapter of the manga, set at the beach.. [191], Since the mid-1970s, the beauty and charisma of the species have gained wide appreciation, and the sea otter has become an icon of environmental conservation. Its diet includes prey species that are also valued by humans as food, leading to conflicts between sea otters and fisheries. [193] The Seattle Aquarium became the first institution to raise sea otters from conception to adulthood with the birth of Tichuk in 1979, followed by three more pups in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, this made it a major target of the fur trade in the … [192], Sea otters can do well in captivity, and are featured in over 40 public aquariums and zoos. Article continued below. (. The northern sea otter inhabits coastal waters of the northern Pacific Ocean and is the largest member of the Mustelidae family. [31] The hind feet, which provide most of its propulsion in swimming, are long, broadly flattened, and fully webbed. North Pacific areas that do not have sea otters often turn into urchin barrens, with abundant sea urchins and no kelp forest. of food each day. The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. The longest recorded sea otter dive was 4 minutes, 2 and the deepest recorded sea otter dive was 318 feet (97 m) deep. With up to one million hairs per square inch of skin, this species has the densest fur of any mammal . It must eat an estimated 25 to 38% of its own body weight in food each day to burn the calories necessary to counteract the loss of heat due to the cold water environment. [97] Population estimates made between 2004 and 2007 give a worldwide total of approximately 107,000 sea otters.[16][98][99][100][101]. Sea Otter Facts. [175] Necropsies of dead sea otters indicate diseases, particularly Toxoplasma gondii and acanthocephalan parasite infections, are major causes of sea otter mortality in California. [195] Filmed five years previously at the Vancouver Aquarium, it was YouTube's most popular animal video at the time, although it has since been surpassed. It ranges from two to three months in southern sea otters and can last as long as eight months in northern sea otters. Many otters eat tough food, particularly sea otters that inhabit the shallow coastal waters of the northern Pacific. Did they swim off, or did they die off? In this zone, only San Nicolas Island was designated as sea otter habitat, and sea otters found elsewhere in the area were supposed to be captured and relocated. [56] Juveniles are typically independent at six to eight months, but a mother may be forced to abandon a pup if she cannot find enough food for it;[77] at the other extreme, a pup may nurse until it is almost adult size. “As our study of mitogenomes shows, in the case of Northern Oregon it appears that the modern northern sea otter populations from Alaska, Washington and British Columbia are the most closely related,” Wellman said. [179][180], Some of the sea otter's preferred prey species, particularly abalone, clams, and crabs, are also food sources for humans. In order to maintain its body weight, a sea otter must eat 25% of its body weight per day. [98], Alaska is the heartland of the sea otter's range. They watched her for an hour and saw that she was on her own, so they alerted the Alaska SeaLife Center, then met volunteers at Homer Harbor, who took her to the Center in Seward. The ones moved to Oregon disappeared. [102] Before the 19th century, around 20,000 to 25,000 sea otters lived near the Kuril Islands, with more near Kamchatka and the Commander Islands. [138] However, ESA delisting seems unlikely due to a precipitous population decline recorded in the spring 2017 USGS sea otter survey count, from the 2016 high of 3,615 individuals to 2,688, a loss of 25% of the California sea otter population. In a 1997 survey, small numbers of sea otters, including pups, were reported by local fishermen, but scientists could not confirm these accounts. The Recovery Plan for the Southwest Alaska DPS was finalized in August 2013, and the Federal Register notice announcing its completion is expected to be published in August 2013. Many Aleuts were either murdered by the Russians or died from diseases the hunters had introduced. Sea otters have the densest hair coat of any mammal, with 800,000 to one million hairs per square inch. The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is the smallest marine mammal, and quite arguably the cutest, with its gentle expression and playful nature endearing it to many . Above: Aleut carving of a sea otter hunt on a whalebone spear. When their fur is soaked with oil, it loses its ability to retain air, and the animals can quickly die from hypothermia. The other three groups are the pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses), the sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and the cetaceans (whales, porpoises, and dolphins). [16] Originally named Lutra marina, it underwent numerous name changes before being accepted as Enhydra lutris in 1922. [190] The beginning of commercial exploitation had a great impact on the human, as well as animal, populations  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. They rarely come ashore and when they do, remain close to the water. Climate Change – KQED/QUEST (2014)", "Aquatic Species at Risk – Species Profile – Sea Otter", "Parasite Shed in Cat Feces Kills Sea Otters – California Sea Grant", "Aleutian Sea Otter population falls 70% in eight years", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "National Marine Sanctuaries Regulations", "Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary History", "Historical Ecology of Late Holocene Sea Otters (, "Seattle Aquarium's Youngest Sea Otter Lootas Becomes a Mom", "Vancouver Aquarium's oldest sea otter, Nyac, passes", De Bestiis Marinis, or, The Beasts of the Sea (1751), Precipice of Survival: The Southern Sea Otter, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sea_otter&oldid=998917440, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2015, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 16:59. The Southeast stock can be found in the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. [105][106] In 1989, a separate colony was discovered in the central British Columbia coast. [7], Fossil evidence indicates the Enhydra lineage became isolated in the North Pacific approximately 2 million years ago, giving rise to the now-extinct Enhydra macrodonta and the modern sea otter, Enhydra lutris. [139], Historian Adele Ogden described sea otters are particularly abundant in "Lower California", now the Baja California Peninsula, where "seven bays...were main centers". [126], When the USFWS implemented the translocation program, it also attempted, in 1986, to implement "zonal management" of the Californian population. Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) Sea otters ( Enhydra l utris) belong to one of the four groups of former land mammals that have returned to and adapted to a life in the ocean. [79] Much has been written about the level of devotion of sea otter mothers for their pups – a mother gives her infant almost constant attention, cradling it on her chest away from the cold water [80] and attentively grooming its fur. In North America, there are two distinct sea otter subspecies, the northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) and the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis).Northern sea otters are found in the Aleutian Islands, South Central and Southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. [29] The coloration of the pelage is usually deep brown with silver-gray speckles, but it can range from yellowish or grayish brown to almost black. Adele Ogden wrote in "The California Sea Otter Trade" that sea otter were hunted "from Yezo northeastward past the Kuril Group and Kamchatka to the Aleutian Chain". The primary threats to the sea otter are generally human related, including oil and gas transport and competition for shell fish. [11] 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. [55] It is the only marine mammal that catches fish with its forepaws rather than with its teeth. [111] Two sea otters were observed about one mile north of the Winchuck River off the Southern Oregon coast on July 13, 2020. [96], In about two-thirds of its former range, the species is at varying levels of recovery, with high population densities in some areas and threatened populations in others. Its cousin, the southern sea otter, is found off the coasts of California. [99] A massive decline in sea otter populations in the Aleutian Islands accounts for most of the change; the cause of this decline is not known, although orca predation is suspected. 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