The population numbered between 150,000 to 300,000 animals. But fur traders seeking their lush pelts hunted the otters nearly to extinction in the 1700s and 1800s. Today, there are small populations of sea otters along the coasts of Russia, Alaska and central California. The California subspecies is also called the Southern sea otter. Sometimes, but they spend most of their lives in the ocean.
Sea otters eat, sleep, mate and have their pups in the water.
Occasionally, females come ashore to rest after mating, and any otter may beach itself if it's ill or injured. Remember, if you see an otter on the shore, leave it alone and ask other people not to disturb it. How to report a stranded otter. Sea otters live in loose-knit groups called rafts. Rafts typically consist of two or more resting otters.