A favorite position for a Sea Otter is on its back where it can float with small icebergs and thermoregulate in Harriman Fiord in Prince William Sound in Alaska, USA. The fur on a Sea Otter is extremely dense with about 100,000 hairs per square centimeter and keeps the marine mammals warm as they do not have insulating fat on their bodies.
Floating on their back is something Sea Otters do while sleeping, resting or eating and use kelp or small icebergs to help them from drifting afar. Their long hind legs are raised out of the water and the forelimbs are usually folded on their chest or across their eyes while in this floating position.
Their hind paws are broad, flat and webbed to make swimming easier while their front paws are smaller with retractable claws for eating. They capture their prey with their front paws, most of which is sea urchins, starfish, mollusks, abalone, mussels, crabs, octopus, squid and slower types of fish.
While floating on their back, they can crack open their meals and use their chest as a flat area to eat off of. The Sea Otter must eat about 20-25 percent of their body weight everyday to ensure their survival.
The Sea Otter is usually a solitary animal and spends a majority of its life in the water, only coming ashore when the population becomes high.
A sea otter floats among small icebergs and thermoregulates in Harriman Fiord in Prince William Sound Alaska
Options for photo "Floating Sea Otter With Icebergs Prince William Sound Alaska":
Tags - related pictures:
Sponsored Links
Related Images for Wildlife Photos:
Clams |
Lion |
Alopex Lagopus |
Rangifer Tarandus |
Buteo Jamaicensis |
Wolf Eating Elk Alaska Winter Wilderness |
Scientific Name: |
Enhydra Lutris |
Photographer: |
copyright Accent Alaska |
Photo - ID: |
d035_710 - Floating Sea Otter With Icebergs Prince William Sound Alaska |
