Sea otter
Enhydra lutris
- Scientific name
- Enhydra lutris
- Group
- Marine mammals
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Cold / polar waters
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Endangered
Did you know?
The sea otter has the densest fur of any animal, with several hundred thousand hairs packed into just a few square centimeters of skin that it must groom constantly since it lacks insulating blubber, and it uses rocks as tools to crack open shellfish.
What defines this group — Marine mammals
Warm-blooded, they nurse their young and breathe air — the group closest to us underwater.
- They breathe through a blowhole (whales, dolphins) or nostrils (seals, sea lions).
- A thick layer of blubber, rather than fur, insulates them from the cold.
- Many navigate and hunt by sound, using echolocation.