Sea Otter

Introductions

Hi di ho there, Sea Otter Lover!  I’m Sebastian, a 10-year-old California sea otter dude.  Many people think we spend all our time frolicking and surfing the waves.  While I totally enjoy hanging with my buds, we are so much more than that!  For example, our moms are completely devoted to raising us and we spend a lot of time within tight-knit social groups.  

Because sea otters are so social, we often hang out in groups called rafts.  There are female groups and there are male groups.  As an adult male, I spend my days in a male raft.  But because I grew up among the female sea otters, I’ve seen it all.  Let me tell you more about our world.

Growing Up Sea Otter

In the Beginning

Like all sea otter moms, Mom was incredibly nurturing.  She devoted six months to teaching me everything about being a sea otter.  She and I had an extremely strong bond and nearly constant physical contact.  For my first few hours, she groomed me until I was a perfectly dry, fluffy ball of fur.  Afterwards, she held me to her chest and licked my head to keep me calm.  After a few days on our own, Mom and I hooked up with other mom-pup pairs.  All the moms help each other out with pups so it’s a great friendship network / babysitting service.  

I spent most of my first few weeks sleeping, with Mom grooming me frequently to maintain the air layer in my fur that kept me warm.  My newborn coat had so much air in it that I totally floated like a cork on the water, which allowed Mom to forage for short stints.   When I was a few weeks old, I finally realized she was disappearing.  It scared me so much that I started to scream and didn’t stop until she found me.  

I quickly learned that if I wanted anything from Mom, all I had to do was yell and she’d give it to me. We all have unique screams, so Mom always knew when it was me crying.   When she reached me, she cooed at me to settle me down.  Another thing that upset me was stormy weather so mom would swim in large circles, alternating between moving slowly downwind and then rapidly upwind.

After a few weeks of sleeping most of the time, I was able to sit up on Mom’s chest while she slept.  I’d climb on her, play with her flippers and paws, and touch her face.  When I was a month old, I started trying to swim. I was still too buoyant to go underwater, but I did flip myself over and watch Mom as she found food.  Around that same time, she offered me my first clam!  So good!!  Within a few weeks, every time she surfaced, she had food for both of us!

Diving Like a Pro

When I was six weeks old, I was finally able to go underwater and swim to my mom after she foraged and soon began diving like a pro!  And I was playing with the other sea otter pups in our raft:  Chip, Earl, Sabrina, and Sarah.  When we were together, we would touch, taste, and smell everything within reach.  I’ve never outgrown my curiosity and even as an adult, I love to explore new things.  

By the time I was three months old, I could stay underwater as long as Mom.  And I was able to groom myself too.  I was getting too big to lie on Mom when I nursed so instead, I would lie perpendicular to her.  That gravy train ended when I was six months old.  By then, I was able to get all my own food and Mom had taught me everything she could like how to use tools.

Adulting, Sea Otter Style

Off to the Male Raft

Around the time Mom weaned me, we pretty much stopped hanging out.  For the next two years, I remained on the outskirts of the female raft.  When I turned three years old, I was suddenly inspired to strike out on my own.  I swam more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) to find a raft of young males.  And even though I was considered a mature sea otter by age five, I remained with the raft of males for several years.  During that time, the fur on my head turned a shocking white.  Egad!  But the ladies seemed to like it.

Visits to the Female Raft

During my seventh summer, I suddenly felt the urge to visit a female raft.  Some older males had gotten there first and established territories that overlapped where the females lived.  I didn’t intrude and instead swam around the outskirts of the female’s home range.  A month later, I went back to my all-male raft.  While I would spend breeding season near the female raft, the rest of my time was spent traveling and rough housing with my bros.  Eventually, I came out on top during mock fights. 

The next summer, when I headed back to the female raft, I was able to establish my own territory as a dominant male.  It was a small portion of the area the females live in but located in a good spot with lots of food and a protected shoreline.  Every day, I patrolled my borders by swimming at the surface, kicking, splashing, and grooming vociferously to let everyone know who was in charge.  Some days I’d leave to forage nearby but I was always back by dusk and spent my nights resting in the main entryway to my territory.  When another male tried to enter my area, I chased him off with my awesome boxing moves.

When a female entered my territory, I approached her to sniff her hind quarters.  If she wasn’t interested in me, she would hiss and slap me.  But when she didn’t make a fuss, we would spend the next three days in amorous pursuits along with swimming and foraging in synchrony.  We’d sometimes haul out to rest onshore where we’d gently nibble each other’s heads and necks while cooing at and nuzzling each other.  I must admit that things sometimes got a little violent on my part when I first started spending time with the ladies, but I got gentler as I aged.  Regardless, after three days my lady friend would depart, and I’d wait for the next female to arrive.  I stayed in my territory for several months before heading back to the male raft.  But each year, I’ll go back to claim my territory. 

A Typical Day for Me as an Adult

Dawn Patrol

I start my day by sunrise, looking for food in my shallow coastal water home.  I eat a lot due to my high metabolism, which also helps me stay warm.  Every day, I consume 17 pounds (8 kilograms) of food – that’s 25% of my sleek 66 pounds (30 kilograms)!

I find my food underwater.  I have a layer of air between my two coats of fur, which allows me to easily float on the surface.  But it does make it a tad more challenging to dive for food.  Most of the time, I take a deep breath and roll forward into the water but when I’m in the mood to show off a bit, I leap out of the water, arch my back and then swim down to the bottom.    I usually stay under for about a minute each dive, although I can hold my breath for more than five minutes if needed.  When I’m ready to head back up, I simply stop pushing myself down and then I rise to the surface.  

Just like Mom, I especially like to eat abalone, sea urchins, clams, and crabs.   I almost always find my favorites when I forage, although I also eat snails, mussels, scallops, barnacles, worms, and sea stars.  I use my eyes to locate them although when it’s dark or the water is murky, I use my paws and highly sensitive whiskers to feel for food instead.  During a dive, I tuck my meals away in a pocket located under my forearms – yup, that’s my armpit! – until I can eat.  

Once I’m back at the surface, I float on my back while I nibble.  If I found my very favorite meal – clams – then I lay a flat rock on my chest and hit the clam shell on it until it opens.  I really don’t like having food in my fur, though, so I roll over often while I’m eating to wash the scraps off my chest.  When I’m totally digging my meal, I coo or grunt.

Rafting

By 10 a.m., I’ve usually had enough to eat.  Then it’s time to meet my friends so we can hang out until mid-afternoon.  When I first join the gang,
I groom myself.  Because my fur is the best defense against the cold ocean water, it’s important for me to maintain it.   After I blow warm air into my fur, I somersault and roll in the water while rubbing my natural oils throughout my coat.  I don’t have a collarbone and my skin is not attached to my skeleton in most areas so I can easily reach all parts of my body.  Once I’m thoroughly groomed, I rest with the rest of the raft.  We like to congregate near a kelp bed, so I wrap kelp blades around my middle to anchor myself before napping.  Then I raise my hind flippers, cross them over my tummy and use my front paws to cover my eyes. 

Lather, Rinse, Repeat! 

Once I wake up, I forage for food until dusk.  Then I groom and rest until midnight, when I forage again.  Afterwards, I rest until dawn when I start each day anew.

How To Help Us.

You can help us by protecting our oceans, keeping beaches clean, and avoiding single use plastics that can tangle us up.  Read about some suggestions on specific actions you can take.  For those of you with pet cats, keeping them indoors keeps the ocean free of harmful parasites that can hurt us.  You can also help by supporting groups that are trying to restore us back to all our original habitats along the Northern California and Oregon coasts.  And of course, if you see us in the wild, please stay a respectful distance away – at least 60 feet (18 meters).  (We think you’re kind of scary.)

Returning the Favor.

Since you’re considering helping us, I want to return the favor.  Our near extinction highlights the impact of losing any element in the ecosystem and reminds us that leaving the natural world intact is the best way to go.  And sea otters have times for solitude and times for socializing.  It’s important to find the right balance for you.  But no matter what, don’t forget to take time to play each day! 

For more information on sea otters, read Stefani Paine’s The Nature of Sea Otters:  A Story of Survival with photographs by Jeff Foott or check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium website. Some of the best places to view rescued sea otters include the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, and the Oregon Zoo.  You can also view them virtually on the Monterey Bay Aquarium webcam.

Special thanks to Chanel Hason of the (Boom Shocka) Elakha Alliance for serving as an expert advisor on sea otters.

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