This low maintenance otter is perfectly content juggling a rock around and carrying it wherever he goes.

Sea otters have become icons of marine conservation on the West Coast of the U.S. With their furry bodies, whiskered faces and propensity to lay on their backs on the water, they are an easily-recognized marine mammal. Learn some fascinating facts about sea otters below.

Sea otters often use rocks to dislodge prey from their shells, such as shellfish and crustaceans, making them one of the only mammals to use tools to hunt and eat

Unlike some marine mammals like whales, who would die if they were on land for too long, sea otters can go up onto land to rest, groom or nurse. They spend most of their lives in the water, however, and can live their entire lives in the water if they need to. Sea otters even give birth in the water.


Sea otters eat fish, and marine invertebrates like crabs, urchins, sea stars, and abalone. Some of these animals have hard shells, making it difficult to get the meat inside. This isn't an issue for the sea otter, which uses rocks as tools to crack the shells of its prey.

Sea otters have a baggy patch of skin under their forelimbs, and this is used for storage. They can keep extra food in this spot, and also store a favorite rock for cracking the shell of their prey.
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