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Sea otters also are members of the animal kingdom's tool-wielding club. The researchers observed 196 southern sea otters along the central California coastline - Big Sur, Monterey, San Luis Obispo ...
A sea otter using a rock to break open a shell. The sea otter, Enhydra lutris, is a member of the Mustelidae that is fully aquatic. Sea otters are the smallest of the marine mammals, but they are also the most dexterous. Sea otters are known for their ability to use stones as anvils or hammers to facilitate access to hard-to-reach prey items.
For larger, heavier-shelled prey, otters will sometimes exhibit tool-use behavior, breaking open sea urchins and mussels with a false stone used as an anvil. Sea otters can also bite sea urchins and mussels open using their strong jaws and teeth. Adults can crush most of their food items but youngsters have not yet developed powerful enough jaws.
Sea-otter pelts were given in potlatches to mark coming-of-age ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. [70] The Aleuts carved sea otter bones for use as ornaments and in games, and used powdered sea-otter baculum as a medicine for fever. [205] Some Ainu folk-tales portray the sea-otter as an occasional messenger between humans and the creator. [206]
Sea Otters can swim up to six miles per hour and hold their breaths for up to four minutes. They use these skills to dive as deep as 330 feet beneath the surface. 4.
The return of the sea otter could help bring them back to life. Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to ...
A sea otter using a rock to break open a shell. Under each foreleg, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) has a loose pouch of skin that extends across the chest. In this pouch (preferentially the left side), the animal stores collected food to bring to the surface.
Experts are struggling to restore the U.S. West Coast’s southern sea otters to their historic range. The effort is part of growing global recognition of the crucial role that predators play ...