Sea Otter

About the Sea Otter

They have the densest fur of any mammal - 1 million hairs per square inch. They use rocks as tools to crack open shellfish, making them one of the few tool-using mammals. They wrap themselves in kelp while sleeping to avoid drifting. They hold hands while sleeping in groups (rafts). They were hunted to near-extinction for their fur - only 50-1,000 remained. They are a keystone species: by eating sea urchins, they prevent urchin barrens that destroy kelp forests. Their fur is so effective they have no blubber layer. They spend their entire lives in water. Their pups float like corks.