Sea otter Facts for Kids
Enhydra lutris · en-HY-druh LOO-tris
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 79 lb36 kg1
- 📏 3.9 to 4.9 ft1.2 to 1.5 m1 long
- 🎂 23 years23 years2
- 🍽️ meat
- In danger (Endangered)
Sea otters float on their backs in the sea. They use a rock to crack open shellfish. They hold hands when they sleep!
A sea otter has no blubber, so its thick fur keeps it warm by trapping a layer of air next to its skin. It grooms its fur all the time to keep it fluffy. After diving for food, it floats on its back and uses a rock as a tool to crack open clams, then eats them off its belly like a table.
Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal, and they must keep it clean and fluffy to stay warm. They eat a lot of sea urchins, which graze on kelp, so by keeping the urchins in check they help giant kelp forests stay healthy for fish and many other animals. Sea otters were hunted for their fur until very few were left. Now they are protected and are coming back along many coasts, but oil spills are still a danger because oil spoils their fur.
How big is a sea otter?
Sea otter in numbers
| Length | 3.9 to 4.9 ft1.2 to 1.5 m1average |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 79 lb36 kg1 |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 23 years23 years2maximum estimated, in the wild |
| What it eats | sea urchins, crabs, clams and snails |
| Where it lives | the cold coasts of the North Pacific, from Alaska to California |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | In danger (Endangered)3 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A sea otter keeps a rock and a snack in a pocket of loose skin under its arm.
- A sea otter pup floats like a cork because of its fluffy fur.
- Otters wrap themselves in kelp so they don't drift away while they sleep.
Compare the sea otter
- 🦦 vs 🦦 North American river otter
- 🦦 vs 🦫 North American beaver
- 🦦 vs 🦭 Harbor seal
- ⚖️ Compare with any animal
Friends and neighbours
North American river otter
Giant Pacific octopus
California sea lionThree questions
Books about the sea otter, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the sea otter for free.
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Sea otter (Q41407), checked 30 October 2026.