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Sea Otters in Alaska
The scientific name for the sea otter is Enhydra lutris, which means "otter in the water". This name is quite fitting as they spend almost all their life in the ocean - they eat, sleep, mate, give birth and feed their young at sea. Sea otters are the largest members of the weasel family. They are also among the smallest of the marine mammals. Like all mammals, otters breathe air, feed milk to their young, are warm blooded and have hair on their bodies. Sea otters are only found in the North Pacific Ocean, where they live along rocky shorelines and sheltered coves. Approximately 168,000 sea otters live in the waters off of Alaska and Russia. Groups of sea otters, called rafts, float among the kelp beds, where there is plenty of food.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey