Sea Otters

Sea otters are marine mammals that live in the Pacific Ocean. They are known for floating on their backs on the water's surface. Sea otters use rocks as tools to crack open shellfish. They have the thickest fur of any animal in the world.

Tool Users

Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools. They place a flat rock on their belly while floating on their backs. Then they smash shellfish against the rock to crack them open. Each otter has a favorite rock that it keeps in a pouch of skin under its arm.

Keeping Warm

Sea otters do not have blubber like whales to keep them warm. Instead, they have incredibly dense fur with up to one million hairs per square inch. They spend hours grooming their fur to keep it waterproof. Sea otters also eat a lot to fuel their warm bodies, consuming up to 25 percent of their body weight in food each day.

Fun Facts

• Sea otters have up to one million hairs per square inch of skin.
• Sea otters hold hands while sleeping to keep from drifting apart.
• A sea otter eats about 25 percent of its body weight in food every day.

Did You Know?

Sea otters help protect kelp forests! They eat sea urchins that would otherwise destroy the kelp. Healthy kelp forests provide homes for many ocean animals.