The Basics. The sea otter is an important part of both of these habitats — It’s a keystone species, which means that the health of sea otters is a good indication of the health of other species and ecosystems nearby. The sea otters have a flexible skeleton and their face is small and round. What wasn’t apparent from the surface as we cruised through the corridor of sea otter carnage in Shakan Bay was what effect the foraging activity had on the soft seafloor below, which was what I was to later investigate in eelgrass habitat. Hunted nearly to extinction by the fur trade, sea otters are endangered and currently exist in only a portion of their historic range. While sea otters are vulnerable to natural predators such as sharks, the population also faces risks from other factors such as disease, contaminants, availability of prey, and entanglement in commercial fishing gear. Sea otters live in a cold ocean environment and rely on two traits to keep warm: a dense fur coat for insulation and very high metabolism to generate body heat. Such a high proportion of one prey species in the diet of otters is absolutely exceptional,” says Lukáš Poledník on the results of the most recent survey. Their measurements vary depending on the sex. And Levi has helped document how sea otters have increasingly become prey for wolves around Glacier Bay National Park. Sea otters … Researchers working in Alaska’s Katmai Coast have discovered a surprising new interaction between mammals on small islands off the coast: grizzly bears are preying on sea otters. The sea otter is a well-known marine mammal with a historical range along the west coast of North America. The two are directly related in that sea otters prey on sea urchins, which in turn can help foster kelp beds because urchins feast on kelp. Kelp forests are desirable as productive nurseries for a wide range of sea life. Main Characteristics Of The Sea Otters Anatomy. Adult males weight between 22 and 45 kilograms and measure from 1.2 to 1.5 meters.On the other hand the adult females usually weigh between 14 and 33 kilograms, and their length varies from 1 to 1.4 meters.. Diet analysis suggests that butter clams are their preferred prey in Southeast Alaska (La Roche 2020). In the Monterey Bay, the sea otter lives in kelp forest and estuary habitats. The two are directly related in that sea otters prey on sea urchins, which in turn can help foster kelp beds because urchins feast on kelp. The two are directly related in that sea otters prey on sea urchins, which in turn can help foster kelp beds because urchins feast on kelp. High metabolism means they control numbers of their prey species. 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