Date:Wed 12/7/2022 9:56 AM
Happy Wednesday everyone, sorry for missing a few fish of the day in there, I was busy with the flu! Today's "Fish" of the day is the sea otter!
The sea otter, also known as Enhydra lutris is a species of otter that is native to areas around the Northern and Eastern Pacific. Otters themselves are a kind of weasel that has evolved to spend its whole life in the water, and can do as such never seeing land as long as it lives. This means they are more adapted to the water than even pinnipeds (seals, walruses) due to the fact that sea otters are made for giving birth and sleeping in the water, where seals are not.
Known for their work as a scavenger and forager th sea otter can hold their breath for as long as 5 minutes well they dive to the seafloor to find prey. They are known for lifting rocks to find various snail and other seabed animals, as well as being one of the only animals known to catch fish with their forpaws rather than their teeth. The sea otter is dineral, or, meaning that they spend the mornings active and then sleep in the early afternoon to night before waking for the morning again. They spend other times grooming the thick fur. That as well, the otter is well known for having an extensive amount of thick fur for keeping it warm in a marine environment rather than the blubber that other marine mammals employ.
Otters are known to be social animals, tending to exist in singe sex groups called "rafts" that usually have 10-100 animals, but have in a least onne record case had more than 2,000. To hold onto one another so currents can't break them apart, they are known to hold hands while sleeping, or wrap kelp around themselves. They are also known for having a wide range of sounds that they make at one another.
I hope everyone has a good Wednesday!
