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ADULT SEA OTTERS: 2015
Animal Classification
Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Description
Sea otters are members of the weasel or mustelid family. Like other members of this family, they have very thick fur. In fact, at 850,000 to one million hairs per square inch, they have the thickest fur of any mammal. Their fur actually consists of two layers, an undercoat and longer guard hairs. This system traps a layer of air next to their skin so their skin does not get wet. Sea otters are usually dark brown, often with lighter guard hairs. Alaskan sea otters tend to have lighter fur on their heads. Sea otters are the smallest marine mammals. In California adult females weigh 35-60 pounds (16-27 kg); males reach up to 90 pounds (40 kg). Alaskan sea otters are bigger with males weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kg).
Range/Habitat
Sea otters once ranged from Mexico to Alaska and even to Japan. Currently, the California population numbers around 2,800 and is found from Half Moon Bay to Morro Bay. There is a much larger population in Alaska, and sea otters are still found in Russia. Sea otters inhabit shallow coastal areas and prefer places with kelp. The kelp acts as an anchor that the sea otters use to wrap themselves in when they are resting.
Mating/Breeding
Females give birth to one pup and usually have their first pup at the age of four or five. Their pregnancies last four to five months. Pups can be born any time of year, but in California most are born between January and March, and in Alaska most are born in the summer. When born, the pups weigh from three to five pounds.
Behavior
Sea otters are social animals, with females and pups spending time together in one group and males in another. Pups stay with their mothers for the first eight months of their life. The pups' fur traps so much air that they actually cannot dive under water. When mothers leave the pups wrapped in kelp to hunt, pups bob on the surface of the ocean like a cork. Mothers spend much time grooming pups and often carry them on their chests. Pups begin to learn to swim at around four weeks of age. Sea otters are one of the few animals to use tools. They eat animals with shells, like clams and abalone, and use a stone to break open the shells. When sea otters are under water searching for food, they store what they have found in the loose skin folds at their armpits. Adult sea otters can eat 25%-30% of their body weight in one day!
Status
Sea otters in California are a threatened species due to past over hunting for their beautiful fur. Although sea otters are protected now, they remain vulnerable, especially to oil spills. Unlike other marine mammals, sea otters do not have a blubber layer. Therefore, they rely on their fur to keep warm. If their fur is oiled, it loses its insulating qualities and the sea otters soon chill. Otters are also affected by the oil fumes or poisoned by eating food exposed to oil. Most sea otters quickly die in an oil spill. Several thousand sea otters died in the 1989 Exxon oil spill in Valdez, Alaska. Other threats to sea otters include infectious diseases, parasites, boat strikes, entanglements, and toxins.
At The Marine Mammal Center
The Marine Mammal Center began rehabilitating sea otters in 1995. Since that time, we have rescued up to 207 sea otters.
Want to learn more about marine mammals?
SOURCE: www.marinemammalcenter.org/
The male killdeer is seen perched on top of the female killdeer in order to appear as one large bird. The behavior is seldom witnessed and even more rarely photographed.
Dr. Aaron T. Beck stopped by Beck Institute for a question and answer session with workshop participants.
We observed members of J-Pod in a sleeping pattern. Unlike humans, Orca whales are voluntary breathers and must consciously rise to the water's surface to breathe. When sleeping, they shut down half of their brain to allow them both rest and control their breathing. Sleeping as a pod, their movements become synchronized as they submerge for long periods of time and periodically surface for air.
Shot while aboard the Island Explorer traveling around the San Juan Islands, WA.
While I was waiting for my friend Adriana N to come out of the bathroom, my mind was quickly taken by these two zebras who seemed to be going through what I would call "mating behavior." I've honestly never seen anything like this. It was rather brilliant and fascinating!
Mating Behavior - Sexual activity of Animals
(def given by dectionarysensagent.com)
IndivÃduo macho adulto de Tropidurus torquatus (Squamata, Tropiduridae) exibindo comportamento de tanatose. SaÃda de campo, Zoologia de Vertebrados (noturno) 2°/2007
LIFE: REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS
BBC Natural History Unit, Discovery Channel, SKAI Open University & BBC Worldwide
Watching this behavior several times, I began to wonder if the vermillion flycatcher was actually feeding the fledgling house finch. I looked it up and found both male and female vermillion flycatchers feed their young. What do you think?
Male Vermillion Flycatcher normally found from central South America north to the (United) states that border Mexico. Rare species on the Central Coast of California.
neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/...
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife
Because Phoenix Pride tends to be tamer than parades at other cities, having your photo taken with guys in their underwear becomes an event in itself.
After visiting lots of people in a pup safe environment, a much needed nap under an outdoor cafe table.
Large size | Original uploaded size | My portfolio | My manifesto
Interesting to note that in some flock configurations, the birds appear to also synchronize the beating of their wings. At dawn, over the ocean at Nazaré. See Flocking behavior for more info.
City of Providence Selects The Providence Center as Behavioral Health Crisis Response Program Partner
Behavior Study 1: this young Herring Gull repeated dropped and retrieved a stick in the water. Was it "play", skill training, or a mix of both?
Saving the planet one step at a time
Have you heard of climate change?
Temperatures are getting higher. Storms are getting worse. Ice is melting and sea levels are rising. Portions of the coast of Bangladesh are likely to go underwater, lost forever. Millions will become homeless. The ability of the earth to sustain people is threatened.
Why is climate change happening?
Because people are burning up fossil fuels (diesel, petrol, natural gas, coal) at such rapid rates that future generations are now threatened.
Is it possible to slow climate change?
Yes, but we cannot continue to waste time. Carbon dioxide levels are rising rapidly. That is where the number 350 comes in. If we can limit CO2 in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million then we can avoid the worst of the harm to come.
Is there anything we can do?
No one person cam stop climate change but everyone contributes something significant. We can slow out own use of fossil fuels by walking and cycling and taking cycle rickshaws rather than using motorized transport. We can reduce our use of electricity. We can avoid, as a nation, burning coal (pure carbon) or selling it to others to burn. We can encourage the government to act to encourage reductions in fuel use and to encourage walking, cycling, and rickshaws.
This will mean making some changes. Fortunately most of those changes are likely to
increase rather than reduce our quality of life. Imagine being able to cycle safely in
Dhaka. Imagine the air being fresh and clean. Imagine children and youth being able to play in side streets. If we move our focus from cars to people, from traveling long
distances to accessing basic needs close to home, we can reduce congestion and all the misery it causes, We can have more time with family and for the other important parts of life.
Remember 350 is not just a number. It is not just an ideal. It is something we can all work to make a reality.
Syed Saiful Alam
shovan1209@yahoo.com
www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15255050/20/3
Cover art is Last Supper, by David Feingold, an artist living with epilepsy and a doctoral student in disability studies, National Louis University.