So whether you see an otter on land or at sea, be sure to maintain a safe distance of at least 50 yards and never feed sea otters. Beneath the chilly, nutrient-rich California waters, purple urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) cover the rocks like millions of cockroaches, using their platelike teeth to chip away at rocks and hunker down in the resulting crevices. Without the sea otters, in fact, the kelp ecosystem would struggle, probabaly even die. In this way, cold water is kept away from the skin and there is little body heat loss. Sea otters eat bottom-dwelling nearshore animals, which they often forage for in kelp forests. With an arm span reaching 1 meter across, these spiny giants kept the urchin populations at bay along the Pacific coast. Sunflower sea stars have historically preyed on purple urchins. As top predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore ecosystems, such as kelp forests, embayments and estuaries. It is estimated that these animals spend from 24 to 60 per cent of the day foraging. In the absence of sea otters, urchins proliferate, forming “barrens” that lack kelp (right). I am interested in alternative food systems and evolving technologies in the face of ever-increasing global environmental pressures. How do the otters keep warm? By controlling the size and number of sea urchins (sea urchins are one of their favorite foods, and they eat the larger ones first), sea otters created the opportunity for kelp to grow and flourish, which in turn created habitat for numerous other kelp forest dwellers. Why Are Sea Otters Important? Without sea otters, urchins prevent kelp forests from forming important habitats for many animals. This is because they lack blubber or layer of fat under the skin (just like in other marine mammals) and so, they have to gorge on the food to keep themselves warm enough to survive. My love of learning is what drives me. While efforts to turn the tide on the urchin crisis are in full swing, those who have been battling the urchin armies for some time are not entirely optimistic. A number of creatures graze on kelp but the most destructive herbivore is … They've long been lauded as one of the world's most intelligent animals. When in the water, a group of otters is called a raft. Sea otter pups may begin to swim and take solid food at about four weeks, and dive at six weeks. However, around 2013 a marine heatwave event, named "The Blob" by scientists, threw kelp forest ecosystems out of whack. Sea otters play a small role in mitigating global climate change, but their impact points to a larger lesson: wildlife conservation can save vegetation needed to reduce CO 2. (Photo by: David Fleetham/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). Warmer ocean temperatures led to massive die-offs of the stars. What do sea otters eat? She disappears below the surface. Sea otters spend all of their time in the ocean, including sleeping. While removing urchins is important, the ability for new kelp to grow in their place is just as significant. “In our experiments we found that we can suppress urchin density in a barren over time, and the real issue then was having successful kelp recruitment to our cleared reefs,” Rootsaert explained, “What we didn’t predict is that even when the purple urchins are gone, the red urchins are preventing kelp regrowth as well”. Sea otters eat more than 40 different prey items, but often have certain favorites that they specialize in such as abalone, sea urchins, crabs, clams, and octopus. of food daily. A “keystone species” is a species that is critical to how an … This, in turn, provides shelter for sea otter pups and a variety of other marine life, including fish. In this pouch (preferentially the left one), the animal stores collected food to bring to the surface. In the Arctic, killer whales often dine on sea otters, while in the Californian coast, great white sharks consume many otters each year. Every day, the sea otter needs to spend hours grooming its fur and fluffing it out. The sea urchin is the leading food for the sea otter, by consuming sea urchins, the sea otter can maintain a balance of Eco-system. In this way, cold water is kept away from the skin and there is little body heat loss. Most river otter species are generally monogamous and they may even mate for life. Sea otters eat about 25% to 30% of their weight. They often sleep in strands of kelp which keeps them from drifting. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Kelp keeps them warm. Once the kelp dies it floats up and provides the sea otter with a source of food. Rootsaert’s experiments include weekly visits to the same urchin barrens, areas where urchins have eaten all the kelp, to remove urchins and determine at what point a kelp forest can re-establish itself. Kelp. Pups remain dependent on their mothers for an average of six months. They can dive hundreds of feet deep. Why do otters sleep in kelp? Under each foreleg, the sea otter has a loose pouch of skin that extends across the chest. What Do Giant River Otters Eat? Sea otters use belly as dinner table . That's well before other sea animals learned to MacGyver their surroundings. Ideas or questions freshwater otter pups and a variety of other marine life including... Research suggests that sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of nearshore,! Replace a clutch in a Honda Accord are another predator of urchins in the cold without their fur! 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