how do sea otters play

Diet A sea otter has a metabolic rate much higher than most mammals of similar size, and must consume large quantities of food. Upon returning to the surface, they float on their backs, with the rock on the stomachs. Unlike most marine mammals that use blubber to stay warm in the cold ocean waters, sea otters rely on their extremely thick fur. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. The grazers in turn kept the eelgrass blades clean and healthy. When sea otter populations are healthy, urchin populations are kept in check, and kelp is abundant. North American river otters, also called Canadian otters, have long, muscular, streamlined bodies with short legs and fully webbed feet bearing non-retractable claws. Case study: Sea Otters →Crabs → Sea Slugs → Micro Algae → Eelgrass. 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. They provide crucial habitat and food for other marine organisms and also help to contain coastal erosion. However, otters can hold their breath for deep dives to the ocean floor. These sea creatures also depend on a high metabolism rate to generate body heat. Otters can stay submerged for five to eight minutes, depending on the species, because their heart rate slows, and they use less oxygen. Sea otters are a keystone species and play a critical role in the food web of the kelp forest, so much so that even terrestrial species are influenced by sea otter activity. Their appetite for these invertebrate species exerts a strong influence on prey size and number and how they live and move in their habitat. People affect sea otter populations through direct shootings and trapping sea otters in fishing nets. Nonetheless, the managers of this estuary have recently reintroduced sea otters that have resulted in the sudden increase in the seagrass beds. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. Sea otters feed mostly on sea urchins, mollusks, crustaceans, and fish. As sea otters reclaimed their role as predators in this estuary, they helped restore balance to this important habitat connecting land to sea. Sea otters have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to … Sea otters are ‘’keystone species” because of their critical role in maintaining the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystems. Sea otters are an iconic species, representing the beauty and diversity of marine life found along California’s coastline. A keystone species is one that exerts a large, stabilizing influence throughout an ecological community. When urchins are uncontrolled by predators they become larger and more abundant, feeding on kelp until little remains. However, this is not enough to keep the sea otters warm. In the recent past, sea otters nearly became extinct due to large-scale commercial hunting for its pelt. Sea otters can be found in the frigid kelp forests of Northern California, and would not survive the cold without their specialized fur. Almost all otters have webbed feet, some more webbed than others, and they can close off their ears and nose as they swim underwater. They cleverly use rocks as ‘tools’ to smash the shells by placing the rock upon their chest while floating on their backs and bashing the mollusc against it repeatedly. Urchin barrens are disastrous to the environment as they result in an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the likelihood of coastal erosion and storm surges. The high metabolism comes from the food eaten by the sea otters. Sea otters are ‘’keystone species” because of their critical role in maintaining the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystems. Sea otters dive to rocky reefs, where they collect invertebrates and also a large rock. Female: Adult female Alaskan sea otters can reach weights of up to 33 kg (72 lbs. Their nostrils and ears close to keep water out, and waterproof fur keeps them warm. In comparison, you probably have about 100,000 hairs or fewer on your whole head. All Rights Reserved. This is an area of the sea without kelp forest cover. The Seattle Aquarium was the first institution to nurture sea otters right from conception to adulthood with the birth of ‘’Tichuk’’ in 1979. Which guild an otter occupies has to do with the depth at which it likes to find food. Sea otters are mammals that spend most of their lives in the ocean. Specific otter play activities are useful for survival. Luckily, we stopped hunting them, and sea otter populations are recovering. Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. They are much more buoyant … Copyright © 2020 Sea Otter Savvy. To achieve this, the sea otters that are carnivorous feed on various marine species such as crabs, clams, urchins, snails, and worms. The animals often wrap themselves in kelp so they do not drift away in the ocean’s swirling currents. Sea otters and their pups aren't merely cute, they're also utterly (or otterly) fascinating. Places such as British Columbia, Aleutian Islands, and the Big Sur coast of California have had major improvements in the health of their coastal ecosystems due to the re-introduction of otters. They’re also considered a keystone species because of their critical importance to the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystem. The interesting bit about sea otters is that the reproduction process begins with the male courting the female. Although capable of walking on land, otters may spend their whole lives in water. They eat sea urchins and other invertebrates that graze on giant kelp. These latter resear… Webbed feet and powerful tails, which act like rudders, make otters strong swimmers. An adaptationis a trait that makes an organism better suited to the environment it lives in. Some otters dive deep and end up nabbing things like sea urchins and Dungeness crabs off the seafloor, while others find their favorite foods at mid-range depths of about 40 feet (12 meters), collecting small shellfish and worms. With the reduced crabs in the meadows, the population of the sea slugs increase and feed on the algae seen growing on the leaves of the seagrass. In contrast, Dr. Estes noticed that places with healthy sea otter populations often had healthy kelp forest habitat as well. Seagrass meadows are significant to the ecosystem as they result in the protection of the coastal regions and preservation of the habitat for fish. Facts about otters Otters and play. Sea otters are streamlined marine mammals, which look like a larger, fluffier, version of their freshwater cousins, river otters. Humans almost hunted sea otters to extinction for their fur! Additionally, the damaging physical effects of oil contamination, as well as toxicological effects from ingestion and inhalation can lead to severe, long-term organ damage and other potentially life-threatening conditions. ), and female California sea otters weigh on average 20 kg (44 lbs.) Wild sea otters typically have a … Others believe otters only use these slides for low-energy travel, maintaining that otters generally do not climb to the top of a slope for another slide. Sea otters are mammals, and therefore breathe air. The specific role of the sea otters in the eco-system is as follows; ‘’Kelps’’ are brown algae seaweeds growing rapidly underwater covering 25% of the world’s coastlines. The Deep Sea Ecosystem: Life In The Dark And Cold Waters. Thus, to survive the cold temperatures and maintain warmth, the sea otters feed on food amounting to an average of 25% of their body weight every day. For some species, otters of all age classes have been observed sliding. On land, the otters face threats from bears and coyotes. They eat shellfish, spiny sea urchins, crabs, shrimp and small fishes. Mating takes place between 15-30 minutes. They also rely on kelp to provide them cover from predators, and a habitat for the animals they hunt. By controlling the number of crabs, sea otters helped sea slugs and other tiny marine grazers flourish. “With the near extinction of sea otters during the fur trade, our coastal ecosystems were radically downgraded and simplified. The sea slugs’ grazing kept the eelgrass blades free from a smothering coat of algae. Sea otters are good at floating on the waters surface, as air trapped in their fur makes them more buoyant. If you haven't been swept up by the otter craze that's sweeping America, the time is now! In fact, sea otters have the world’s finest and densest fur—up to a million hairs per square inch! The ‘’Exxon Valdez’ oil disaster that occurred in Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989, proved that the single greatest threat to the otter today is an oil spill. The organisms sea otters had evolved alongside suddenly lost the main predator that kept them in check. Sea Otter Play uses a premier virtual events platform called 6Connex. Their small heads widen to long necks and shoulders, and they have flattened, well-muscled tails. Fourthly, sea otters are also threatened by predators that live underwater like orcas, sea lions, and bald eagles. Furthermore, countries such as the United States, Russia, and Canada have set up marine protected areas where activities such as dumping of waste and oil drilling are prohibited. Sea otters are carnivores that feed on an array of marine species—mostly invertebrates like crabs, clams, urchins, snails and worms. Secondly, oil spills result in the death of sea otters. Wrapping pups in seaweed: Sea otter pups are born without the ability to swim. Sea otter fur is the densest of any mammal at about 1 million hairs per square inch (We have 100,000 hairs on our entire head). Thus, the reduction in the numbers of the sea urchins, caused by the presence of sea otters, prevents the decimation of the kelp forests. Eventually, the seagrasses become clean and healthy resulting in higher populations. One of the results of Dr. Estes’ research was to designate sea otters as a “keystone species”. They like to swim on their back and sides and can see just as well underwater as they can above. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are marine mammals inhabiting the shores of the Aleutian Islands and along the North American coast up to Mexico. These filter feeders indiscriminately sieve particles out of the water resulting in them accumulating high concentrations of pollutants and disease pathogens. More kelp forests result in fewer urchin barrens, as well as an increase in the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and release oxygen back into the air. These otters have brown-to-gray fur, and their undersides are a lighter, silvery shade. By controlling the size and number of sea urchins (sea urchins are one of their favorite foods, and they eat the larger ones first), sea otters created the opportunity for kelp to grow and flourish, which in turn created habitat for numerous other kelp forest dwellers. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. The truth is, we don’t even really know what we’re missing.” -Lilian Carswell, US Fish and Wildlife Service Southern Sea Otter Recovery Coordinator, High metabolism means they control numbers of their prey species. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2020 worldatlas.com. Because sea otters do not have any insulating fat, the fur is responsible for heat maintenance. By controlling the number of crabs, sea otters helped sea slugs and other tiny marine grazers flourish. Fortunately, sea otters feed on sea urchins resulting in the preservation of the kelp forests. They are adapted to this kind of environment by possessing a dense fur coat which insulates the body from cold. Sea otters have a symbiotic relationship with kelp forests. Besides existing in the wild, otters are also raised in captivity like public aquariums and zoos. A new trophic cascade involving sea otters was recently discovered in a Central California estuary. They typically … This challenge has affected even large estuaries such as the Elkhorn Slough Estuary located on Monterey Bay in Central California, US. Hughes discovered that sea otters were feeding on crabs that in turn were feeding on sea slugs. Thirdly, sea otters expose themselves to diseases and pollutants through their feeding habits. Why do otters have fur? Sea urchins are herbivores and feed on seaweeds like kelp. Dr. Estes found that the presence of sea otters had a dramatic effect on coastal habitats (see case study below). Some predators like the great white shark may kill the otters but not feed on them. By studying how sea otters were foraging in the Elkhorn Slough—what prey species they were eating and where they were feeding—Dr. Crude oil normally penetrates the fur of the otter destroying the air layer that is trapped next to its skin. Subsequent generations of Californians didn’t know anything else, but as sea otters reclaim their historic range, I expect we will continue to discover far-reaching ecological effects that we hadn’t anticipated. Sea Otters play an important role in the ecosystem, and may even be mitigating some of the harmful environmental impacts of human activity. A keystone species is one that is comparatively rare but has a strong influence on its environment. In 2001, a female otter at the Monterey … The sea otter spends most of its time in the water but, in some locations, comes ashore to sleep or rest. They have thick fur that generates heat to keep their bodies warm. Sea otters do an excellent job of eating large sea urchins over eight centimetres in diameter, but they tend to leave behind smaller urchins. They use the rock as a table against which they smash their shelled prey to … This metabolism needs to be continually stoked with energy in the form of food, and sea otters must consume as much as 25% of their body weight each day in order to stay warm and survive. Among the widespread species of seagrasses is the Zostera, also known as the eelgrass that has been on the decline in the recent past due to the large population of crabs that have been feeding on them. However, countries around the globe have enacted legislation outlawing their hunting. Adult sea otters may eat as much as 9 kg (20 lbs.) Some scientists have theorized that sliding isn't play but rather a functional way to get around. Otters are part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family of … The giant otter is the longest of the otters, sometimes reaching 7 feet from nose to tail, and weighing up to 85 pounds, but sea otters are much stouter and large male sea otters in particular are bulkier and heavier than giant otters. Watch this great short film to understand more about keystone species: While scuba diving in the Aleutian Islands, Dr. Estes noticed places where the seafloor was covered with sea urchins and no kelp remained. Sea otter fur is the densest of all mammals, with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter. By repeatedly foraging these contaminated prey, the otters put themselves at risk of harmful diseases. The ocean can be a harsh environment, but the sea otter has developed adaptations to help it survive. Sea otters can sometimes be seen off sandy beaches — and even local harbors. Can otters use tools? Sea otters live in a cold ocean environment and rely on two traits to keep warm: a dense fur coat for insulation and very high metabolism to generate body heat. Sea urchins feed voraciously on kelp forests thereby damaging the eco-system leading to what is known as "urchin barrens." A population that once extended continuously along the North Pacific Rim was reduced to a few small remnant colonies. While we wish we could see you in person, we hope Sea Otter Play will keep everyone enthused and … Otters are known to be very lively animals and they love playing so much. The sea otter can usually be found in kelp beds, and looks very much like lumps of kelp. A third group prefers to forage around in shallow waters for snails. Sea otters reside in the underwater which has extremely cold temperatures. Sea otters also have thick, brown fur that insulates them against the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean. Some researchers believe that sliding is a form of play in river otters. The complexity of trophic cascades can vary extensively from place to place, but this basic pattern is the foundation for understanding how sea otters fit into a healthy coastal environment. Sea otters feed on a large number of crabs to retain their body weight. Studies show that the presence of otters increased the carbon storage of kelp forests from 4.4 to 8.7 megatons. As sea otters reclaimed their role as predators in this estuary, they helped restore balance to this important habitat connecting land to … This type of relationship between a predator (sea otter), herbivore (urchin), and plant (kelp) is known as a trophic cascade. First, one of the biggest threats to the existence of sea otters is humans. A sea otter rests on its back with its head, arms and flippers in the air, and looks like two lumps close together. Their dense, short under-fur is overlain by darker, coarse guard hairs that help repel wa… This digital environment mimics the experience one would have at a physical event, while in the virtual world. We've … What Is The Importance Of Insects In The Ecosystem. Both wild and captive otters will slide down the same mud or ice path repeatedly. The specific role of the sea otters in the eco-system is as follows; 1. A collection of kelps result in the formation of kelp forests. Otters help protect kelp from sea urchins, which in … Sea otters play a small role in mitigating global climate change, but their impact points to a larger lesson: wildlife conservation can save vegetation needed to reduce CO2. The otters’ playful juggling of rocks has been reported many times. Much as 9 kg ( 72 lbs. common otter amusements otters feed mostly sea... The fur trade, our coastal ecosystems were radically downgraded and simplified ecosystems, such kelp... 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