Into Alaska - Alaska and Points North: Tips and Tales from the Road - page 97

Interesting Info:
Sea Otters
The loveable little sea otters are the “gold” that originally drew the Russians to Alaska. With
the finest fur in the world on these critters' backs, entrepreneurs made fortunes in the fur
trade. By 1911 populations had dropped to as few as 2,000 with many areas completely
devoid of otters. They were finally given protection under the Fur Seal Treaty, signed by the
United States, Great Britain, Russia and Japan. By the mid 1970s populations were again
approaching 200,000 animals.
They are a member of the weasel family, linked genetically to mink and river otters. Clumsy
on land, they are great swimmers and live in relatively shallow coastal areas where they
can easily dive for their diet of sea urchins, crabs, clams, mussels, octopus and other sea
creatures. They make a dive for food then surface, rolling onto their backs. The food is
placed on their chests where they it eat piece by piece, cracking the shells with their fore-
paws or when necessary using a rock to crack the tough ones. It is believed that they need
to bring 18-23 kg (40-50 lb) of whole shellfish to the surface each day to provide the 4-7 kg
(8-15 lb) of solid food they need to sustain their body weight.
They mate at all times of the year, producing one pup when food is plentiful. Mom is pro-
tective; keeping the pup on her chest till it is weaned at 14 kg (30 lb). Bald eagles sometimes
prey on unattended pups (while Mom is diving for food) and killer whales sometimes take a
few adults, but their main problem is people and pollution.
Where other northern sea mammals rely on thick layers of blubber to keep warm sea otters
rely on air trapped in their fur to maintain their body temperature. If the fur becomes matted
it loses this quality so they spend a lot of time floating around and grooming themselves.
During the Exxon Valdez oil spill more than 1,000 dead sea otters were recovered, unable to
clean the oil from their fur. There is no doubt this number of dead otters was only the tip of
the iceberg.