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A sea otter using a rock to break open a shell. The sea otter, Enhydra lutris, is a member of the Mustelidae that is fully aquatic. Sea otters are the smallest of the marine mammals, but they are also the most dexterous. Sea otters are known for their ability to use stones as anvils or hammers to facilitate access to hard-to-reach prey items.
Lutraria lutraria is the type species of the genus Lutraria, the name Mya lutraria being the basionym used by Carl Linnaeus when he described the species in 1758. It was later determined that there were sufficient differences between it and other Mya species for the otter shell to be placed in its own genus. [2]
[65] [199] Shellfish declines have also occurred in many parts of the North American Pacific coast that do not have sea otters, and conservationists sometimes note the existence of large concentrations of shellfish on the coast is a recent development resulting from the fur trade's near-extirpation of the sea otter. [199]
At stake are multi-million dollar shellfish industries for Dungeness, king crab and other species. ... Southern sea otters were thought to be extinct until the early 1900s.
More than 30,000 creatures at Sea Life aquariums across the UK have been counted during the annual stocktake. ... The UK's first rescued Alaskan sea otters, Ozzy and Ola, were weighed in London ...
Some otters are experts at opening shellfish, and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion. Sea otters are hunters of clams, sea urchins and other shelled creatures. They are notable for their ability to use stones to break open shellfish on their bellies.
Sea Otters can swim up to six miles per hour and hold their breaths for up to four minutes. They use these skills to dive as deep as 330 feet beneath the surface. 4.
Sea otter conservation began in the early 20th century, when the sea otter was nearly extinct due to large-scale commercial hunting. The sea otter was once abundant in a wide arc across the North Pacific ocean, from northern Japan to Alaska to Mexico. By 1911, hunting for the animal's luxurious fur had reduced the sea otter population to fewer ...