Sea Otter: An Endangered / Threatened Animal
Mayumi Oda ESL099.3131 Professor YinMay 27, 2008
Photo Object; http://www.turtletrack.org.htm
Description Sea Otter = Enhydra
Lutiris(Silverstein, p.9)
• The male’s weight is 70-90 lbs. (32-41 kg) and 4.5 ft long (1.4 m).
• The female’s weight is 40-60 lbs. (18-27 kg) and 4.5 ft long (1.4 m). (Schneider)
Description (continue) Fur • The thickest and finest fur.• The function is to protect sea otter from cold
water (Siverstein, p.14).
Big appetite• The amounts of food equal 1/4 of the weight
each day.• Because of holding energy to keep the body
warm (Silverstein p.11 and p.20).
Life HistoryReproduction• Spring → it is easier to raise the pup. • A pup is born 4 - 6 months after mating.• The female can have a pup by 3 – 4 years old (Silverstein
p.30).
Parenting• Only female takes care of the pup.• The pup spend most time on
on the mother’s chest.
(Silverstein, p.p 30-32)
http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov
Life History (continue)Parenting• 1 or 2 months age: starts eating solid foods.
• 6 - 12 months age: becomes independent (Silverstein, p.p 30-32).
Life ActivityMale sea otter• Raft: a small group of only males.• Traveling more than 50 miles.
Female sea otter• Not going far away from the birthplace.
(Silverstein, p.27)
Sea otter’s life span is 15 to 20 years. (Schneider)
Distribution
Past distribution
Pacific ocean
all over the world
except Oceania
(Silverstein, p.17)
Current distribution
Relocation of sea otters ↓
The Pacific Coast in Alaska and British Columbia, and
Washington.| |
The area where a few people live in
( Silverstein, p.p 41-45 )
HabitatSea otter is a sensitive animal
• Shallow (50 to 75 feet depth)• Islands, rocks, reefs, and underwater kelp.
• Abundant food (Silverstein, p.p 17-19)
http://www.amnh.org/
Reasons for Endangered
Decreasing the population
900,000 northern sea otters
and
100,000 to 200,000 southern sea otters
were killed by people(Silverstein, p.14)
Reasons for Decline
1. Shark Problem Most dangerous enemy (Martin, p.p28-31)
2. Gill Nets Sea otters are trapped in the net, and they drown (Martin,
p.p28-31).
http://www.glf.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
3.Oil ThreatOil spills from tanker into sea
↓Sea otters cannot survive
(Martin, p.p28-31)
4. Fur Hunting A lot of sea otters were killed
by people because of the fur (Martin, p.p28-31)
http://www.alaska-in-pictures.com/
ConservationFederal level• Russia, Japan, the U.S. and the UK
signed a fur treaty (Silverstein,p.14).
States level• California states banned the use of gill nets
(Glick).
Individual level• Many volunteers rescues sea otters
when oil spilled into sea (Silverstein, p.53).
ProspectConflict with
People
Big appetite of sea otter
↓
Damage to the harvest
of fishermen
↓
Compete between
people and sea otters
↓
Fishermen kill
sea otters(Silverstein, p.p46-48)
Interaction between
Kelp and Sea Otters
The increase of sea otters
||The increase of kelp
||It is important for
fishermen
(Silverstein, p.p19-20)
Personal Thoughts
• People have responsibility to protect sea otter.
• Nobody has the right to deprive other animals’ habitat.
• People should understand how they affect the other animal’s lives.
• People can coexist with sea otters without hurting each other.
Works Cited
Glick, Daniel. “Back from the Brink.” Smithsonian. Sep. 2005: 54-63. AcademicSearch Premier. EBSCOHost. LaGuardia Community Coll. Lib., Long Island City, NY. 2 April 2008 <http://rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=18018965&site=ehost-live>.
Martin, Marlene. “Endangered, Threatened, or Thriving? The California Sea Otter.” Environment. September 1983: 28,5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOHost. LaGuardia Community Coll. Lib., Long Island City, NY. 2 April 2008 <http://rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5210478&site=ehost-live>.
Schneider, Karl. “Sea Otter.” Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 1994: 10 April 2008 <http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/marine/seaotter.php>.
Silverstein, Alvin, Virginia Silverstein, and Robert Silverstein. The Sea Otter:Alvin, Virginia, and Robert Silverstein. Brookfield, Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1995.