Sea OtterBy Jake

Appearance I am about 1.3 meters

long but some sea otters are smaller. I

weigh 20-37 kilograms. My belly is light brown, I have a sleek body covered in dark brown fur. I

have webbed feet for swimming. My

forefeet are smaller. I have semi-retractible claws. My ears and

nose close when I go under water. I sleep

and rest on my back.

Habitat I live in lots of places;

some are warm, some are cold . Some of the

places are Russia, Northern Japan, the coast of California,

Alaska, British Columbia,Washington,

and Oregon. These locations are in the

Northern Pacific ocean. I also like to rest in

coastal kelp forests on my back, but I am

usually anchored by kelp.

Diet

Did you know that I eat 25% of my own weight every day? For some of

it I have to dive 100 m! I often use objects to

hammer open shells. Some examples are urchins, abalone,

mussels, clams, crabs, and snails-yum!

Reproduction

My mating season is all throughout the year. My

young develop in my mate’s womb for 6-8

months. We usually give birth to one pup, but

sometimes twins.

Care of Offspring

Well, when I was young my mother would aggressively

defend me and I mean aggressively. My mother

would nurse me for about 14 weeks. Parents

look after pups for 6-8 months.

Natural Enemies

I have lots of natural enemies. Some are:

great white sharks, bald eagles, bears, and

coyotes. I protect myself with my waterproof fur which keeps me really

warm. I also have a high metabolism. My body is

covered with half a million hairs per square

inch.

Am I Endangered?

Well, actually I am threatened but near to be endangered. There are

several reasons. Oil spills may cause

hypothermia which could kill me. Natural enemies eat me. A big hunt near Russia killed nearly 1,000 of my kind

which reduced our numbers.

Bibliography

http://www.leenwallpapers.com/images/gallery/SeaOtter.jpghttp://www.bcadventure.com/jamieswhalingstation/04_sea_otter.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/ Tj0RYwdSu5Y/TobV4MOwGeI/AAAAAAAAB0o/2XdkrHw4ML4/s

1600/Sea%252520Otter.jpg http://petethomas.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a77b966b970b013487641cd3970c-600wihttp://www.esablawg.com/esalaw/ESBlawg.nsf/

images/KRII-7SX2YJ/$File/seaotterualaska.jpg