Otters

 This week one of my granddaughters requested a post about otters. So, I guess I “otter” get started. Although there are 14 species of otters in the world, they are basically divided into two main kinds: river otters and sea otters. As it turns out, we have both kinds here in California. We have river otters in the Stanislaus River that runs through the State Park where I work during the summer, and sea otters in the waters along the California coast, especially around Monterey Bay.

River otters are smaller and thinner than their ocean going cousins. They can be 2-3 feet long and weight between 20-30 lbs. a river otter can live for up to 25 years. They live in dens (tunnels in the river bank). Mothers can give birth to between 1-5 babies called “kits” or sometimes “pups”. Once they are ready to swim, they may spend all day in the water playing and searching for food. Otters have some of the thickest fur of any mammal. Their dense fur helps keep them warm even if there is ice on the water.

River otters love to eat fish, crayfish & clams. One time an otter even stole Papaw’s anchovy off of his fishing line! They have very sharp teeth and are really good hunters. They have sensitive whiskers that help them find food in the water.

Sea otters like to live in the ocean. They are much bigger than the river otters (4-5 feet long and close to 100 lbs.). They spend a lot of time just floating in the kelp. They can even sleep while floating in the water. One of their favorite treats is a sea urchin. Urchins have lots of spines, but they are no match for
a clever sea otter. The otters have a special pouch under their arm where they keep their favorite rock. They set the rock on their chest and smash the urchin on it until it breaks open. They can even break clam shells that way! Once the urchin or tasty clam is open, it’s dinner time.

Here’s the live sea Otter cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.