Sea Otters Research Paper

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The sea otter is considered and endangered species due to the decline in large scale population. Sea otters population numbers have decreased at almost 50% in the past three generations! Sea otters population is affected by many things such as oil spills, predation, diseases, and accidental fishery interactions. This has caused the otters to not thrive, but try to survive. Sea otters are very different when it comes to breeding. Females are not sexually mature until they are 3 years old , and males until they are 5-6 years old. They can not reproduced successfully until at least 7 years of age! The process all begins with a male sea otter courting, o approaching romantically, a female sea otter. In the courting process, males tend to semi faster than normal and with their face down. When a female encounters the male he sniffs her body. If she is interested they play around for a while, if rejected, he is pushed away. Then the two part ways for a couple days before breeding. Sea otters are K-strategists because they, on average, give birth to one pup at a time. After a female gives birth to her pup she grooms it and cares for it because they are born blind and basically helpless. After 8 months of learning pups are on their own! The average sea otter lives…show more content…
They rely on their eater resistant fur for insulation due to their lack of blubber. Sea otters have the densest fur out of all mammals. They have larger ribcages than river otters, and are very thick. Otters are also known for being very flexible creatures. Sea otters have large, webbed feet used for finding food, eating that food, and grooming. They also have 32 teeth used to crush invertebrates. Did you know that sea otters are the only carnivores with just two pairs of incisors in their lower jaw? Otters also use special whiskers called vibrissae. Vibrissae help detect movements of the otter pray by underwater

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