The Sea Otters of Monterey Bay - Revised: March 23, 2011

REVISED:  March 23, 2011- see four revisions below.
Although the California Sea Otter remains classified as endangered today, we feel fortunate to be able to experience them almost every day along the coast of Monterey Bay. They are usually well offshore feeding or resting on their backs but sometimes are seen in the harbor (as we have reported in previous blogs) or far less often, feeding close to shore.

The coastline in this area presents an ideal habitat for the Sea Otter but life is not easy for them. After almost being wiped out in the 1800's by the fur trade and presumed extinct by 1900, a few were discovered along the Big Sur coast just south of here in 1938. It was assumed at the time there were fewer than 20 or perhaps 30 individuals. Sea Otters have made a come-back since then but are still far from having established a thriving population. Legal protections were established in the early 1900's and the population recovered to 2400 individuals by 1995 before mysteriously beginning another decline. Today there are estimated to be about 2600 individuals along the California coast. The population is still far from a thriving population. An unusually high rate of deaths has been reported  recently by the US Geologic Survey. A preliminary count tallied 304 Sea Otters  found dead along the California coast in 2010.

Sea Otters feed on a large variety of marine invertebrates including clams, mussels, urchins, snails and abalone. Because they do not have fatty insulation like Harbor Seals, they have to consume between 20 to 30 percent of their body weight daily to maintain their body heat. 

This information is adapted from the material found in The Otter Project web site.

The other day we found a pair feeding very close to shore and our vantage point was well above the water so we had an ideal view. At first we were attracted by the sea gulls that are constantly on the lookout for food and got this shot of a scavenging sea gull attempting to snatch a tasty morsel. The gull was not successful.

Closer to shore we could see what we presumed to be a mother and her pup feeding and cavorting very close to the rocky shoreline. We became aware that one of the Sea Otters had a very red nose which we assumed to be an injury. This observation made it clear that living in the sea is no easy matter. Imagine bringing up and feeding an infant while constantly in the water. Sea Otters do come ashore but only in very secluded locations - not along the Monterey or Pacific Grove shore. This first shot shows the injured mother with her white ID tag on her right foot. Note the very red nose.

THE REVISION!

We have received feedback from sources that identify the behavior we see here as tyoical Sea Otter mating behavior - NOT a mother and pup. It is known that the male Sea Otters will grab the females by the nose during mating. Apparently injuries like we have included here are common. The females certainly have a tough life.

As the pair moved along the shore I got this shot of the mother and her pup - actually quite large - almost adult size but still apparently dependent on the mother.

REVISION: Note the size difference in the shot below. It is certainly the male at the rear with the injured female in the foreground.

The final shot shows the close contact the mother has with her pup. We observed the usual constant feeding activity that is done while on their backs - often using a rock as a "tool" to open or crush a hard shelled morsel.

REVISION:

Note again the size difference between the injured female and the male.

We can appreciate the hard life of the Sea Otter even to this day when they are legally protected. This mother certainly has lost a "chunk"  of her nose that must be painful. We hope she doesn't become one of the statistics when the Sea Otter deaths are tallied this year.

REVISION:

Now we can further appreciate the difficult life of the Sea Otter and perhaps some reason for their slow recovery from near extinction.