Males become sexually mature around 4 to 6 years of age but may not hold a breeding ground until several years later. Sea otters mate year round and pups may be born in any season, however, in Alaska, most pups are born in late spring. Sea otters will generally have only one pup during each breeding cycle. The pups usually stay with the mother for 3 - 6 months. The current population in Alaska is estimated at 100,000 animals.
Sea otters dive to gather food from the ocean floor in relatively shallow water.
The sea otter diet consists of clams, crabs, sea urchins, snails, octopus, and occasionally fish and sea birds. Large food items are cracked open by the otter's flattened molars or pounded open with a rock and eaten individually while the sea otter floats on its back. Smaller prey are often consumed whole. Dives average 1 - 1.5 minutes but sea otters have been known to remain under water for up to 4 minutes at a time. Sea otters have an increased metabolism to keep them warm in the cold water.