Sea otters usually swim on their backs and paddle with their hind limbs. An otter s tail is 10-14 inches long. The sea otters have very good sight above and below the water. An otter s lungs are bigger than any land animal of the same size. They can dive deeper because of their big lung capacity.
Sea otters dive to hide from predators and to retrieve food.
An otter has external ears and can hear very well. Their ears are protected by a flap of skin just inside the ear to stop water from going inside. Sea otters have a very good sense of smell. On our trip to Monterey our coach Mr. Rasner had to cleanse his shoes before being allowed by the trainers to enter the otter s habitat area.