There is a very amazing creature called a sea otter. But the weight of males is almost twice as large, and can be up to 45 kilograms.

Description and features of sea otter

The body of a sea otter, like all otters, is elongated. A small head with a large mustache carefully inspects the surroundings in search of food. The sea otter has a subtle sense of smell, and he also sees well both in water and on the surface of the water.

This animal is well adapted to life in sea water. And the following qualities help this:

• A long mustache quickly picks up even the smallest vibration in muddy water;
• The sea otter has well-developed forepaws, which help to care for the hair, as well as find prey. In sea otters, like in cats, claws extend;
• On the hind legs of a sea otter membrane. With the help of their hind legs, these small predators quickly swim;
• For swimming, like a beaver, a long and flattened tail comes to the rescue. It serves as a steering wheel in corners. Also, with the help of the tail, the sea otter increases its speed during the pursuit of prey;
• The body of the sea otter is covered with thick fur. The skin consists of two layers and a huge number of hairs. Most likely, the fur of the sea otter is the densest of all mammals.

Sea otters are dark brown, but the head and neck are much lighter. Sea otters have no fat at all. It is because of the waterproof and thick layers of the skin that the sea otter easily tolerates cold water.

What do sea otters eat?

Since these animals constantly live in cold water, they need to maintain body temperature up to 38 degrees Celsius. For this, sea otters eat a lot. AT on average, a sea otter eats a quarter of its body weight per day. But the sea otter organism 8 times more makes a metabolism, unlike the otters that live on earth.

The diet of these small predators includes about 100 types of prey! They practically eat everyone. Sea urchins, various snails, crayfish and starfish. Sea otters do not refuse from crabs, squids, and even octopuses. A favorite treat, like all otters, is fish.

Sea otters drink salt water. Also, part of the fluid in the body is obtained from eaten prey.

Usually in hunting places sea otters gather in small groups. They stock up on food for a day, as they take food up to four times a day.

With the help of stones, sea otters learned to break hard shells of crayfish or crabs. You can often see a sea otter swimming on its back. A stone lies on her belly, and with her forepaws she beats prey on this stone in order to get to delicious meat.

Sea otters also wash their prey. They in water firmly press meat to the body, and somersault with it.

Social structure and lifestyle

Both on hunting and on vacation, sea otters gather in groups. Free from hunting sea otters on land. At the same time, males and females rest separately. You can distinguish them by the sounds made. Females usually grumble, but males can even grunt like piglets. Young sea otters scream like seagulls.If these animals are scared, they can whistle, hiss, or even scream loudly. But mostly animals lead a solitary lifestyle.

A sea otter under water can reach speeds of up to 9 kilometers an hour. This is a great speed with which a predator can easily catch fish. Usually, these animals can spend up to one and a half minutes hunting under water. But there are eyewitnesses who claim that the sea otter under water was about 6 minutes!

They sleep in an ode on their backs. So that they are not carried away by the current, sea otters are wrapped in algae. Sea otters carefully monitor their fur. Indeed, the life of a sea otter depends on the strength of the hide.

Enemies

These nimble creatures have many dangerous enemies. In the sea, they can be attacked by killer whales, and even sea lions. Young growth becomes prey for bald eagles. If sea otters are on land, then bears and coyotes become enemies. Because of the beautiful fur of sea otters, hunters and poachers exterminated.

Today, sea otters are protected by law. But a significant increase in the populations of these animals is not observed. Most likely, the multiplication of sea otters is influenced by human activity and pollution of the seas.