BC Species -Order at Risk

By: Mikaela Kos

Sea Otter - Enhydra Lutris

KINGDOM – Animalia

PHYLUM – ChordataSubphylum - Vertebrata

CLASS – Mammalia

ORDER – Carnivora

FAMILY – MustelidaeSubfamily - Lutrinae

GENUS - Enhydra

SPECIES – E.lutris

(SCIENTIFIC NAME)

Image of Sea Otter

(Enhydra lutris)    

- multi-cellular organism, eukaryotic- considered omnivores but consume a mostly carnivorous diet- reproduce through internal fertilization during sexual reproduction, no asexual reproduction

- have ‘cubs’ 6 to 8 months after fertilization- have a higher metabolic rates than land mammals of similar size keeps them warm

- generate more body heat by consuming more calories than others- have dense, thick fur which keeps them warm in cold waters

- when threatened they bite with their teeth and attack with their tails- When threatened by larger predators they flee, take refuge in the kelp where they live, and come up on land

- hunt by using their vibrissae to detect movements of prey in the water- catch prey with teeth and larger species hold onto prey while consuming- may remove an abalone by repeatedly hitting it with a rock

- live on average 10 to 20 years (both male and female)- become sexually mature at 4-6 years of age

- most don’t successfully reproduce until 5-7 years of age- tails are smaller than other otters to reduce surface area and at the base their tail is very

plump and as it reaches the tip flattens helps the sea otter swim at a quick pace under water- webbed feet allow them to swim quickly

Description of Sea Otter

(vibrissae or whiskers on a sea otter)

Life Cycle

Sea otter pup is born

Sea otter pup is fully grown at

about 3 years of age (males 1.5m + up to 45kg and females 1.4m +

up to 32.6kg

Females reach sexual maturity at age 4 and males at

age 6

A male and female sea otter

participate in sexual

reproduction

Female sea otter is pregnant with soon to be cub for 6-9 months

Sea otters live in oceans and on land and are secondary consumers. These organisms are predators who play a very important role in their community or ecosystem. They consume about 25 percent of their weight per day, mainly in clams, mussels, sea urchins, crabs, octopus, squid and fish. If sea otters disappeared, eagles might begin to feed on more birds because sea urchin populations are controlled by sea otters. With sea otter populations growing and feeding on kelp beds, fish would begin to die and there would be less food for fish and then there would be no food for eagles. This would cause a large change in the ecosystem and food webs for multiple species.

Niche

http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9331655/1/

Carnivores in BC Dogs (Canids): Coyote (pop.~6000), Grey Wolf (pop.~7000), Red

Fox (pop.~4000) Bears (Ursids): American Black Bear (pop.~75000), Grizzly Bear

(pop.~15000) Raccoons (Procyonids): Northern Raccoon (pop. ~50000). Weasels and relatives (Mustelids): Sea Otter (pop. ~5000),

Wolverine (pop. ~5500), Northern River Otter (pop. ~5000), American Marten (pop. ~850000), Fisher (pop. ~25000), Ermine (pop. ~20000000), Long-tailed Weasel (pop. ~2000000), Least Weasel (pop. ~2000000), American Mink (pop. ~1000000), American Badger(pop. ~500)

Skunks (Mephitids): Striped Skunk (pop. ~12000), Western Spotted Skunk (pop. ~100000)

Cats (Felids): Cougar (pop.~30000), Canada Lynx (pop.~140000), Bobcat (pop. ~650000)

Sea Otter on phylogenetic tree of the order

Phylogenetic Tree of the Organism

Because Carnivora is such a large order, there are both differences and similarities between the

organisms within it. Some common characteristics for this order include front and hind legs to travel around on land or flippers in place of those legs to swim for aquatic animals of this order. They are smart, often

travelling in groups when hunting to more easily catch prey. Carnivora also have a strong sense of smell, hearing, and vision to hunt down and catch prey. Some differences include their diets, while some Carnivora are carnivores, many are herbivores.

Another example of a difference would be their jaws which vary depending on the species.

The sea otter is grouped with other Musteloidia and share similar characteristics in their jaw and

skull. Musteloidia is quite similar to the Pinnipedia, a diverse group of fin-footed, semi-

aquatic marine animals.

Species At Risk StatusThe sea otter in British Columbia is…COSEWIC:Special ConcernBC Status: BlueBC Wildlife Act: ThreatenedBC Forest and Range Practices Act: NoneSARA: Schedule 1 (according to the speciesatriskbc website)

In BC, species of the Carnivora order at risk of extinction are the Grizzly Bear, American Badger, Wolverine, Fisher

Worldwide, species of Carnivora at risk of extinction are the Iberian Lynx, Iriomote cat, Red Wolf, Darwin’s fox, Cozumel racoon, Malabar large-spotter civet, Saimaa ringer seal, Mediterranean monk seal, Ethiopian Wolf, Hawaiian monk seal, Marine otter, Giant Otter, Black-footed ferret, Island fox, Giant Panda, Bay cat, Dhole, Andean mountain cat, Grandidier’s mongoose, Tiger, Snow Leopard, African wild dog, Galapagos fur seal, Australian sea lion, Galapagos sea lion, and the Caspian seal.

Order At Risk Status

Steps being taken to reduce the risk of extinction for all sea mammals include cleaning up oil and garbage deposited into the ocean. Especially for sea otters, the oil get stuck into the layers of fur keeping them warm, This oil eliminates the air bubbles in the fur making the waters much more cold to be living in. The oil, if ingested, can lead to seizures, permanent lungs damage, brain damage, or even death! Another step being taken is moving of fish farms. These farms can often trap a smaller sea mammal, like the sea otter, which can cause distress and ever death. By moving these fish farms to different areas, there is less likely a chance that they’ll get trapped

Steps Being Taken

Sea Otter with oil in it’s fur

How You Can Help

The steps to take action and to prevent the loss (or extinction) of sea

otters is to clean up after yourself when visiting a beach or river or

picking up trash you see when you’re down by any of these areas. This way, any trash that could potentially end

up in the ocean could be kept out of it and the animals living it wouldn't be

surrounded by our left overs.

The International Convention of Biological Diversity and Youth Accord for Biodiversity is a group of people who want to empower youth to think about how they can help the environment and to recognize youth’s contribution in the protection of biodiversity. They work with the Jane Goodall Institute Of Canada, Environment Canada, Climate Girl, and St. Laurent Academy (to name a few) to get these messages across to youth. Their three main objectives, are: To conserve biological diversity, To use biological diversity in a sustainable fashion, To share the benefits of biological diversity fairly and

equitably.

International Convention of Biological Diversity and Youth Accord for Biodiversity

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=157 http://

bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/bluske_brit/adaptation.htm

https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/otters/longevity-and-causes-of-death

Http://a-z-animals.com/animals/sea-otter/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_carnivorans_

by_population http://biodiversitymatters.org/ http://speciesatriskbc.ca/ http://www.iucnredlist.org/ http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cdc/

Websites: