River otters are found throughout most of North America from the Rio Grande to Canada and Alaska, except for in arid deserts and the treeless Arctic. Their aquatic habitats can be both marine and fresh … Otters have broad flattened heads and prominent whiskers. Their bodies are long and streamlined and their legs short. The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals, but one of the largest members of the family Mustelidae, a group that includes skunks and weasels among others. The tail comprises less than a third of the body length. Sea otters are commonly spotted on WWF’s Alaska tours. Sea otters, Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758), are the largest member of the Family Mustelidae (70 species of river otters, skunks, weasels, badgers, etc.) River otters generally live alone or in small social groups. Description . North American river otters were hunted and trapped extensively for their fur in the 19th and 20th centuries, and are still hunted in some places. 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. Adult males reach an average length of 4.5 feet (1.4 m) with a typical weight between 50 and 100 lbs (23 to 45 kg), while adult females reach an average length of 4 feet (1.2 m) and typically weigh 45 lbs (20 kg). 7. Northern River Otters are aquatic members of the weasel family that live in Connecticut. The Southcentral population spans from west of Glacier Bay to the eastern edge of Cook Inlet. The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur. The sea otter can usually be found in kelp beds, and looks very much like lumps of kelp. In order to maintain its body weight, a sea otter must eat 25% of its body weight per day. A sea otter rests on its back with its head, arms and flippers in the air, and looks like two lumps close together. Females are slightly smaller, weighing 14-33 kg and measuring 1-1.4 m in length. The sea otter can live its entire life without leaving the water. They have webbed feet equipped with claws. They live in riparian zones, often in the same areas as beavers. It prohibits commercial harvest of sea otters, and allows Alaska natives to hunt sea otters for subsistence and creation of handicrafts. Conservation. The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects sea otters. 1. Ninety percent of the world’s sea otters live in Alaska’s coastal waters. 1. Sea otters eat 25 percent of their body weight each day in sea urchins, crabs, clams, snails and other invertebrates. Males weigh 22-45 kg and are 1.2-1.5 m in length. Sea otters use rocks to crack open their prey as fast as 45 blows in 15 seconds. Sea otters can sometimes be seen off sandy beaches — and even local harbors. Their tails are furred and muscular, broad at the base and narrow towards the tip. Sea otters are carnivores in the family Mustelidae—a group of animals that also includes terrestrial and semi-aquatic forms such as weasels, badgers, skunks, fishers, minks, and river otters.Sea otters are the only fully aquatic form of otters, but they share features with the others such as thick fur and short ears. Tips for spotting a sea otter. The Southeast stock can be found in the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family and the smallest marine mammal. Within Alaska, there are 3 stocks. 9. 5. An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). The northern sea otter subspecies (E. lutris kenyoni), is found in the Aleutian Islands, Southern Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. They can live eight to nine years in the wild but have lived up to 21 years in captivity. Sea otters have the densest hair coat of any mammal, with 800,000 to one million hairs per square inch. 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