🦫 North American beaver vs Sea otter 🦦
The sea otter is about one and a half times as long as the North American beaver. The sea otter weighs about one and a half times as much as the North American beaver.
| Row | 🦫 North American beaver | 🦦 Sea otter |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the sea otter yet. | 5 mph8.1 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight The sea otter weighs about one and a half times as much as the North American beaver. | 35 to 60 lb16 to 27 kg2 | 79 lb36 kg3 |
| Lives The sea otter usually lives about 3 times as long as the North American beaver. | 8 to 10 years8 to 10 years1 | 23 years23 years4 |
| Eats The North American beaver eats plants; the sea otter eats meat. | bark, twigs, leaves and water plants | sea urchins, crabs, clams and snails |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | streams, rivers and lakes in the forests of North America | the cold coasts of the North Pacific, from Alaska to California |
Which one? North American beaver or sea otter
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the sea otter yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
Compare two more
Getting the animals ready…
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/beaver-vs-sea-otter
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Prince William Forest Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Acadia, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.