Written by Margot Joly
To start, if you've never seen a Sea Otter, they have four legs to move easily on land and use a tail for swimming through water. Sea otters have thick, brown fur that helps them against the cold waters in which they reside. Juvenile sea otters tend to be a uniform dark-cinnamon brown, while adults develop lighter gray colors on their heads. Male sea otters can measure up to 148 cm and average about 27 to 39 kg. In comparison, female Sea Otters can measure up to 140 cm. Large males can reach a weight of 100 pounds. Sea Otters can eat up to 20 pounds of food each day because of their metabolic rate, which is much higher than most mammals of similar size. Among other foods, they eat sea urchins, crabs, abalone, clams, mussels, octopus, and fishes. On average, sea otters can live 10 to 15 years, some living more than 20 years in perfect conditions. Their close family is that of Mustelids which includes the polecats, the badgers, the martens, the otters, the wolverine, and other members of the weasel family. The sea otters' scientific name or Genus Species is Enhydra lutris.
Sea otters are already endangered and are at risk for extinction for many reasons: fur trade, natural predators, habitat degradation, oil spills, fishing nets, disease, and being viewed as competition for hunters. Sea otters have been endangered for a long time, and their condition continues to worsen. Being a keystone species, their extinction would be detrimental to their ecosystem. Keystone species are species that the ecosystem is largely dependent on, meaning that the ecosystem would change drastically if they were to be removed. Many people are ignorant of what is happening to these creatures and what they can do to help. Putting them on the endangered list has not helped this species from becoming a continued target.
MAST@FIU students were asked: why is the extinction of sea otters bad? Some responded with a clear understanding of the gravity of this issue, while others answered frivolously.
“The decrease of otter population is bad because it can lead to a vulnerable ecosystem with a lack of biodiversity. This means that without the sea otter, the ecosystem has to rely on other species to fill its niche, or it has the risk of collapsing. The animals that preyed on the sea otter will no longer have a food source, and the animals that the sea otter preyed on will increase in numbers to an uncontrollable amount. This can directly lead to the ecosystem collapsing.” This student clearly showed an understanding of the issue at hand.
Another student responded: “I think it’s sad that sea otters are becoming extinct because they are so cute, and I would love to hug one.” Although sea otters are indeed cute animals, it is also important to remember why they are essential. They shouldn’t be fought for because they have a pretty face; this is why they are being hunted in the first palace. We should fight to protect sea otters because of their pivotal role in our ecosystems.
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