Plastic Otter with Starfish

Check out our unique Plastic Otter with Starfish.

There are a number of different species of otter. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) was hunted to near extinction for its soft, thick, lustrous, fur in the 18th and 19th centuries. By 1911 it was close to extinction when an international treaty gave it complete protection. Since January, 1977, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has placed sea otters on the Endangered Species List. Protected in the U.S., Canada, and Russia, sea otters have made a remarkable recovery. An estimated 150,000 sea otters now inhabit Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Another 17,000-18,000 live in Russia and northern Japan, 2200 in California, 1000 in British Columbia, and 500 in Washington. The world's sea otter population is now estimated at between 25,000 and 40,000 individuals. Sea otters possess the thickest fur of any mammal, an estimated 800 million hairs (a million hairs per square inch!) cover their bodies. In comparison, dogs have approximately 60,000 hairs per square inch, and the average human head contains only 100,000 total. Sea otters do not have deposits of fat under their skin to keep them warm, instead they depend on air trapped in their thick fur for insulation against the cold. Consequently, pollution from oil spills is a major threat to these animals. Currently, the toxic effects of TBT on marine wildlife have caused recent sea otter deaths off the coast of America. TBT is a toxic chemical used to undercoat ships to prevent the build-up of algae and mollusks. Dolphins, whales, sea lions, otters, sea birds and fish are being poisoned by this highly toxic paint in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. (Sea otter research by Joslyn Biggins.)

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