Scientific Name: Enhydra lutris nereis
Status: T
Southern sea otters are marine mammals with a thick pelt, mainly reddish, dark brown, or black; the head whitish in older individuals, especially males. Sea otters have tails which are thick and relatively long, often representing about 1/4 of the animal's body length. Hind feet flattened and webbed with vestigial leathery foot pads. The front feet relatively small and round. Compared to other sea otters, this species has a shorter and narrower skull, longer nose and smaller teeth.
Diet consists primarily of invertebrates such as sea urchins, crabs, and a variety of mollusks; fish are important food items where there is high population density. Sea otters forage at depths less than 20 m. They often use rocks or other hard objects as tools to break the exoskeletons of invertebrate prey.
Habitat: Temperate coastal waters within 2 km of shore, especially shallows with kelp beds and abundant shellfish. In rough weather, sea otters take refuge among kelp, or in coves and inlets; they rarely come ashore.
Threats: commercial fisheries and tanker traffic that could result in oil spills; also, infectious diseases and parasites have been identified as causing significant mortality.
