Sea otters in Harriman Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Sea otters inhabit Alaska’s southern waters from the eastern Inside Passage to the western Aleutian Islands. They are well loved because of their cute, furry bodies and dextrous little hands. They can often be seen grooming their fur (the densest fur in the animal kingdom) which insulates them from the chilly waters. The Russian fur trade nearly decimated the population in Alaska and waters further south in the early 1900s and they are still listed as Endangered on IUCN Red List due to declining populations. Sea otters eat shellfish, urchins and several other small marine species and can consume up to 25% of their body weight a day in food, and that is a lot for a 40-60 pound animal!
