The Sea Otter is the heaviest member of the weasel family and one of the few non-primate mammals known to use tools, cracking shellfish open with rocks while floating on its back. It has the densest fur of any mammal—up to one million hairs per square inch—which traps air for insulation since it lacks blubber. Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems, controlling sea urchin populations.
Habitat
Nearshore kelp forests and rocky Pacific coastlines
Diet
Sea urchins, clams, abalone, crabs, and snails
How common
Uncommon
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