Wild Sea Otter In Cooks Inlet, Alaska (Enhydra lutris)

            Alaska
Cooks Inlet 
Duck Island 
Lake Clark National Park 

This sea otter was swimming close to our boat when we visited Duck Island just north of Chisik Island on Cooks Inlet where puffins were nesting. The guide said for some reason this one spent its time by itself instead of being with other otters which was normal. The otter seemed to want attention as it swam near the boat as close as possible. It would groom itself in the water and at first it seemed to be ok with our presence until we got too close.  

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg (31 and 99 lb), making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals. Unlike most marine mammals, the sea otter's primary form of insulation is an exceptionally thick coat of fur, the densest in the animal kingdom. Although it can walk on land, the sea otter lives mostly in the ocean.

The sea otter inhabits offshore environments, where it dives to the sea floor to forage. It preys mostly on marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, various molluscs and crustaceans, and some species of fish. Its foraging and eating habits are noteworthy in several respects. First, its use of rocks to dislodge prey and to open shells makes it one of the few mammal species to use tools. In most of its range, it is a keystone species, controlling sea urchin populations which would otherwise inflict extensive damage to kelp forest ecosystems. Its diet includes prey species that are also valued by humans as food, leading to conflicts between sea otters and fisheries.

Sea otters, whose numbers were once estimated at 150,000–300,000, were hunted extensively for their fur between 1741 and 1911, and the world population fell to 1,000–2,000 individuals living in a fraction of their historic range. A subsequent international ban on hunting, conservation efforts, and reintroduction programs into previously populated areas have contributed to numbers rebounding, and the species now occupies about two-thirds of its former range.-  Wikipedia.

Taken in: United States / Alaska / Munina (show map)

Taken on: August 26, 2014

Tags:

Alaska 2014

Cooks Inlet

Lake Clark National Park

Wild Sea Otter

Enhydra lutris

Marine Mammal

Heaviest Members of the Weasel Family

Very Thick Coat Of Fur

Offshore Environments

Dive To Sea Floor

Preys on Marine Invertebrates

Sea Urchins

Molluscs

Crustaceans

Some Fish

Keystone Species

Sue Roehl

Photographic Tour

Natural Exposures

Pentax K-3

Sigma 150-500 mm Lens

Handheld

NGC

coth5

sunray5+ « less

Sets appears in: • Alaska, August 2014

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