It s been 10 years since the Exxon Valdez spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. It s estimated that about 800 Alaskan sea otters died as a result from the oil spill. According to Friends of the Sea Otter, oil spills are the number one threat to sea otters. Instead, they get their insulation from their thick fur. Constant grooming forces air bubbles into their fur where it gets trapped and acts as insulation.
Oil mats the fur and if otters don t have enough insulation, they ll die of hypothermia.
Another threat to the Alaskan sea otter is the killer whale. A report by J. Estes et al. According to the article, an attack on a sea otter by a killer whale was first seen in 1991 and since then there have been nine more. The possibility that the otters died from starvation was ruled out as the urchin population, the main diet of sea otters, is flourishing. It is estimated in the report that a killer whale could consume as many as 1,825 otters per year.