THE SEA OTTER MARINE MAMMAL NATIVE NORTHERN EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN ADULT SEA OTTER WEIGH THE WEASEL FAMILY OTTERS PRIMARY INSULATION COAT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM WALK ON LIVES OFFSHORE WHERE IT DIVES TO THE SEA FLOOR FORAGE PREYS MARINE INVERTEBRATES SEA URCHIN MOLLUSC SPECIES FISH FORAGING EATING NOTEWORTHY ROCKS OPEN SHELLS ONE OF THE FEW KEYSTONE SPECIES POPULATIONS DAMAGE KELP FOREST ECOSYSTEM DIET HUMANS LEADING SEA OTTERS WHOSE NUMBERS ONCE HUNTED THE WORLD POPULATION FELL INDIVIDUALS LIVING FRACTION HISTORIC INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION REINTRODUCTION PREVIOUSLY POPULATED AREAS RECOVERY SUCCESS MARINE CONSERVATION ALEUTIAN ISLANDS CALIFORNIA RECENTLY DECLINED DEPRESSED REMAINS CLASSIFIED ENDANGERED SPECIES SCIENTIFIC DESCRIPTION THE FIELD NOTES GEORG STELLER LINNAEUS SYSTEMA NATURAE LUTRA NAME CHANGES ACCEPTED ENHYDRA LUTRIS GENERIC NAME THE ANCIENT GREEK WATER MEANING IN THE WATER LATIN WORD SOMETIMES BEAVER THE MARINE SIMILAR COMMERCIAL VALUE RODENT RELATED CONFUSED RARE SOUTHERN WEST COAST SOUTH NUMBER FRESH COASTAL EXTINCT SEA MINK NORTHEAST NORTH AMERICA MUSTELID MARINE ENVIRONMENT GIANT OTTER MEMBER THE FAMILY MUSTELIDAE DIVERSE GROUP TERRESTRIAL ANIMALS WEASEL BADGER MINK UNIQUE MUSTELIDS BURROW FUNCTIONAL ANAL SCENT GLANDS ABLE TO LIVE ENTIRE LEAVING THE ONLY GENUS SCIENTISTS BELIEVED EARLESS SEAL GENETIC ANALYSIS EXTANT THE AFRICAN EUROPEAN OTTER AFRICAN CLAWLESS OTTER ORIENTAL ANCESTOR MILLION YEARS AGO FOSSIL EVIDENCE ENHYDRA LINEAGE THE NORTH PACIFIC RISE THE MODERN EVOLVED SPREAD EAST MAINLAND ALASKA DOWN THE NORTH AMERICAN COMPARISON CETACEA SIRENIAN PINNIPED NEWCOMER FULLY PINNIPEDS MUST HAUL OUT ON LAND ICE GIVE PLEISTOCENE EAST ANGLIA HOLOTYPE CARNASSIAL NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM SEEMS WORN BODY SIZE SKULL DENTAL OREGON COAST REINTRODUCTIONS WASHINGTON COAST RANGE THE STRAIT JUAN DE FUCA ALMOST FAR EAST PILLAR SEEN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS MALE FEMALES WEIGHING MEASURING THE MALE MASSIVE BENT LENGTH BLUBBER KEEP UP TO STRANDS HAIR SQUARE ONE MILLION THE FUR WATERPROOF GUARD HAIRS SHORT UNDERFUR THE GUARD HAIRS DENSE LAYER COLD KEPT AWAY THE SKIN HEAT LOSS AS IT SHED RATHER DISTINCT MOLT ABILITY DEPENDS UTMOST CLEANLINESS REACH GROOM TAKING ADVANTAGE LOOSE SKIN SUPPLE SKELETON PELAGE DEEP BROWN YELLOWISH GRAYISH CHEST LIGHTER IN COLOR THE REST DISPLAYS ADAPTATIONS NOSTRILS EARS HIND PROPULSION FIFTH DIGIT FOOT FACILITATING SWIMMING WALKING TAIL THE FRONT PAWS RETRACTABLE CLAWS TOUGH PADS THE PALMS THE BONES SHOW OSTEOSCLEROSIS INCREASING DENSITY REDUCE ITSELF UNDERWATER MOVING REAR END UP AND DOWN SPEEDS BODY FORELIMBS PRESSED THE SURFACE FLOATS MOVES SCULLING FEET ALL FOUR ONTO TORSO CONSERVE PARTICULARLY BUOYANT LUNG CAPACITY TIMES GREATER THAN MAMMALS TRAPPED CLUMSY ROLLING GAIT RUN IN BOUNDING SENSITIVE WHISKERS FRONT HELP FIND BY TOUCH WATERS DARK RESEARCHERS APPROACH IN PLAIN VIEW REACT THE WIND THE SENSE OF SMELL SIGHT WARNING OBSERVATIONS SENSE OF SIGHT USEFUL ABOVE AND BELOW GOOD HEARING NEITHER ACUTE ADULTS TEETH CRUSH CUT SEALS CARNIVORE PAIRS INCISOR TEETH DENTAL FORMULA METABOLIC RATE THREE TIMES SIZED BODY WEIGHT FOOD BURN CALORIES NECESSARY THE LOSS THE COLD DIGESTIVE EFFICIENCY IN AS LITTLE THREE HOURS NEED CONTRAST DRINKS KIDNEY DERIVE FRESH WATER SEA WATER CONCENTRATED SHAPE CONNECT TRAP BODY HEAT SEA MAMMALS PERIOD HOUR BEFORE SUNRISE SLEEPS RESUMES HOURS AFTERNOON BEFORE SUNSET AROUND MIDNIGHT PUPS APPEAR BE MORE FEED AT NIGHT AMOUNT SPEND APPARENTLY AVAILABILITY GROOMING CLEANING LOOSE FUR RUBBING SQUEEZE OUT CASUAL APPEARS AS IF THE ANIMALS SCRATCHING LICE PARASITES ROLL WASH SCRAPS HUNTS HOLD BREATH LAST MINUTE NO MORE MARINE ANIMAL LIFTING TURNING SEARCHING PLUCK SNAIL ORGANISMS KELP DIG DEEP CLAM POUCH THE LEFT THE ANIMAL STORES COLLECTED HOLDS USED TO BREAK OPEN SHELLFISH EATS FLOATING TEAR APART BRING IT SWALLOW MUSSEL TWISTED USES ACCESS MEAT BITES LICKS SOFT URCHINS HUNTING FEEDING HARD POUND ROCK ON ABALONE HAMMERS SHELL RATES ROCK FORCE EQUAL TO MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT JUVENILE FORAGES REST RAFT RAFTS FEMALE LARGEST EVER DRIFTING OUT TO SEA WRAP THEMSELVES MATE BREEDING TERRITORY AREA THE PEAK BREEDING SEASON MALES SPRING TO AUTUMN PATROL BOUNDARIES TERRITORIES FIGHTING MOVE AVERAGE FIVE TO ONE DO NOT SWIM VARIETY VOCAL THE CRY SEAGULL COO CONTENT GRUNT FRIGHTENED EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES PLAYFUL TRULY SOCIAL ANIMAL MEET NEEDS TERMS POLYGYNOUS DAYS ESTRUS MATING TAKES BITING MUZZLE LEAVES SCARS THE NOSE HOLDING HEAD UNDER WATER BIRTHS PEAKS GESTATION TWELVE DELAYED IMPLANTATION FOUR MONTHS IN CALIFORNIA BREED TWICE BIRTH TWINS THE EYES BABY MOTHERS LICK FLUFF NEWBORN HOURS AFTER SO MUCH CORK CANNOT FLUFFY NURSING LASTS EIGHT MONTHS CALIFORNIAN THE MOTHER BEGINNING BITS TWO MONTHS MILK ABDOMINAL NIPPLE RICH FAT MARINE MAMMALS GUIDANCE DIVING WEEKS BRIGHTLY COLORED STARFISH MOTHER MAY FORCED ENOUGH THE OTHER NURSE WINTER SURVIVE EXPERIENCED HIGHEST SURVIVAL PERFORM ALL TASKS RAISING ORPHANED WRITTEN LEVEL DEVOTION MOTHER INFANT CONSTANT CRADLING ON THE WATER WRAPPED KEEP