Sea Otters live in relatively cold waters of as low as -1C, and yet they do not have blubber to keep them warm. Like all otters they rely on their fur, with the Sea Otter boasting the thickest coat of all otters, and in fact of all animals full stop! Roughly 150,000 single hairs can be found in just one square cm of fur! Also, the Sea Otter is the only true marine otter, and they are able to dive to depths of around 40m to catch their prey. When they reach the surface they lay on their backs using their stomach area as a table, and a tool such as a stone is often used to help open their chosen meal’s shell. They eat a variety of food including clams, crabs, abalone, and starfish and up to 40 other marine animals. 

Observations have shown that the foraging of the Sea Otter is greatest in early morning and late evening. They usually stay close to the shore in large groups but can be found up to 5km out at sea.  They rest in the kelp beds in “rafts” and wrap the seaweed around themselves in order to stop the chance of them floating away. This is also the case for many people’s favourite images of these otters, with the “holding hands” pictures being shared far and wide, as we can’t resist a bit of cute sometimes!