Mothers and pups----and other females----usually stay in rafts apart from the male otters. The largest raft of sea otters ever seen was in Alaska. It had over 2,000 members. Most rafts are much smaller, with 50 to 100 otters. In California, the average raft has only about a dozen animals.
People began hunting sea otters for their furs in the 1700s, and kept hunting them until 1911. The first people to bring otter furs to the marketplace were the Russians. They made so much money selling them that other nations began hunting otters too. Close to 1 million sea otters during this period. The only reason the hunting stopped because no more otters could be found. Although it seemed too late, a law was passed in 1911 making it illegal to hunt sea otters. This helped to protect the few otters that remained.
Now there are new dangers to sea otters. The main threat is oil spills. Oil sticks to the otters' fur and then they can't float or stay warm. California otters are also at risk.
This is one of the many reasons to say "No to oil rigs in our oceans!"
JE LEEST
Endless Ocean
Algemene fictieA deeper look into underwater life. The photos . Animal facts are non-fiction. Character surprises are fictional. Enjoy!
