If you plan to take Alaska Cruise, you are likely to see furry
mammals along the beach, just about 3-4kms away from shore. They come to shore
to rest and are often seen in groups. You will see them cleaning their fur,
untangling knots, removing loose fur to squeeze out the water and blowing into
their fur to dry it.
Yes, these cute mammals are Sea Otters, who are hunted for their
thick furs.
You see them lying on their backs, eating the food in a special
way, which means that they use their stomach like a dining table and place
their food on it. They use their forepaws to tear apart and bring it to their
mouth. It can chew and swallow small mussels with their shells. It consumes 160
different types of food that includes snails, crabs, starfish, octopus, sea
cucumbers and several types of fish but avoids vegetarian items.
They have a small double loose skin under each foreleg that
extends across the chest like pouch where they store rocks, which they use it
to break open shellfish and clams. To open hard shells, it may pound its prey
with both paws against a rock placed on its chest. It will repeatedly smash the
shellfish against the rock until it breaks open to reveal the tasty meal
inside.
The sea otter is diurnal. It has a period of foraging and eating
in the morning, starting an hour before sunrise, then rests in midday, then
continues foraging in the afternoon and subsides before sunset Females with
pubs appear more inclined to feed at night.
The species exhibit a variety of vocal behaviors. The cry of a
pup is often compared to that of a seagull. Females coo when they are content,
males may grunt instead. Distressed or frightened adults may whistle, hiss or
in extreme circumstance, scream.
Although you see them resting in groups, and can be playful and
sociable, they spend much time alone. Each adult can meet its own need in terms
of hunting, grooming and defense.
Sea Otters sometimes float in forest of kelp, or giant seaweed, in
which they entangle themselves to provide anchorage in the swirling sea.
Do look out for them if you live on the pacific side of the
earth, in the cold countries.
Image source:National Geographic
