Habitats
Sea OtterThe Northern Pacific Ocean is the primary location where you will find the Sea Otter.The Sea Otter is the only species that doesn’t go to land for much time. Experts believe that it can move on land but that it chooses not to. It does very well living exclusively in the water. However, they do choose to live close to the shore so that they can find food easier. California is a prime location for Sea Otters to reside.
Sea Otters are native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean.They are found most often in areas with protection from the most severe ocean winds, such as rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests, and barrier reefs. The sea otter population is thought to have once been 150,000 to 300,000, stretching in an arc across the North Pacific from northern Japan to the central Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. Sea otters currently have stable populations in parts of the Russian East Coast, Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and California, with reports of recolonizations in Mexico and Japan. |
North American River OtterThe Northern River Otter is found both in Canada and the United States. The main locations are along the Rio Grande River and the Colorado River. They are highly adaptable animals so as long as they have access to enough food and water they can thrive. They tend to stick to freshwater areas including lakes and rivers. They do fine in both cold and warm temperatures of water. North American river otter is found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, both freshwater and coastal marine, including lakes, rivers, inland wetlands, coastal shorelines, marshes, and estuaries. It can tolerate a great range of temperature and elevations. However, it is sensitive to pollution, and will disappear from tainted areas. They do live on land too but you may not see that as apparent as with the other 13 species of Otters. |
Giant OtterThroughout South America is where you will find the Giant Otter. They prefer to reside in the rivers and streams that hold freshwater. It is also common for these regions to be flooded during the rainy season. Other water habitats include freshwater springs and permanent freshwater lakes. Four specific vegetation types were found on one important creek in Suriname: riverbank high forest, floodable mixed marsh and high swamp forest, floodable low marsh forest, and grass islands and floating meadows within open areas of the creek itself. Decades of poaching for the giant otter's large velvety pelt, peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, and that considerably diminished the giant otter's population numbers. The species was listed as endangered in 1999 and the wild population estimate is now below 5,000. Habitat degradation and loss is the greatest current threat for decreasing population numbers for the giant otter. The giant otter is also now rare to see in captivity; in 2003, only 60 giant otters were were being held globally . |