The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family, but the smallest marine mammal.  These cuddly fur balls can only be found in select places.  Their numbers were once in the hundreds of thousands, but were hunted to near extinction for their furs between 1841 to 1911, until the practice was made illegal. 

Today they are on the endangered species list and their decreasing population had fallen to 1,000 – 2,000 animals worldwide, and remain tenuous due to their sparse range.  Today it is estimated that 3,000 animals exist along the coast of California from Half Moon Bay to Point Conception.

Morro Bay is one of my favorite spots along the California coast, and home to a small population of sea otters who come to the Bay for its calm lagoon water to have their babies and protect them from predators (namely sharks).

The otters have no blubber to keep them warm in the cold waters.  Instead, they have a double layer of fur for insulation from the chilly waters which they groom frequently to keep clean.  If their fur gets exposed to oil it loses its insulating factors.

Sea otter pup’s fur traps so much air that they can’t dive underwater.  If a mom needs to go out and hunt for food, she wraps her pup in kelp so that it bobs to the surface like a cork.  The pups begin to learn to swim after 4 weeks and wean from mom by 8 months.

The otters feed on kelp forests and sea urchins keeping the marine environment healthy, and enjoy crabs, mussels, and clams.  They give birth in the water and cuddle their young while floating on their back.

We watched as two ‘teenagers’ horsed around in the water dive bombing nursing moms and babies in the ‘nursery’ to less enthusiastic little ones that spilled into the water whining for mom.  It was fun to watch and beautiful to see the otters flourishing in this special place.