Sea otters have extremely high metabolism and eat up to 25 percent of their body weight each day. Favorite foods include shrimp, clams, crabs, snails, starfish, abalone and urchins. There are an estimated 2,100 southern sea otters. They are a threatened species. Their fur is the thickest of any animal.
Otters spend a lot of time grooming.
They don't have blubber, so they depend on their fur to keep them warm. As they groom their fur to clean it, they force air bubbles next to their skin. The bubbles act as insulation for warmth and provide buoyancy. They have retractable claws like cats, used for grooming and eating. They can dive up to 120 feet to find food.