Sea otters: Snack, snuggle, repeat

Sea otters are famous in the animal kingdom. How could they not be? They are literally the fluffiest creatures on the planet, with some [600,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles]( per square inch—more than [six times]( as much as we have on our entire heads. Most of the time we see them in the wild, they’re floating on their backs, maybe snacking on a crab or sea urchin using their tummies as tables. They even hold hands while they sleep floating on their backs. Everything about them is adorable—which is why everyone loves Sea Otter Awareness week, created by a US-based environmental advocacy group. (And why we’re making [a special exception]( to our “only one majestic marine creature per week” rule.) But there’s so much more to sea otters than their looks. “They’re pretty badass,” says Sarah McKay Strobel, a graduate student studying ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz. Like so many of the best things, they’re [endangered;]( their population was decimated by the pelt trade of the 19th and 20th centuries, and even though they’re protected in the US, recent mysterious [shark attacks]( and neurotoxins in their food supply have prevented a full bounce-back. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( Sponsored by [Quartz Obsession] Sea otters September 27, 2018 Fluff piece --------------------------------------------------------------- Sea otters are famous in the animal kingdom. How could they not be? They are literally the fluffiest creatures on the planet, with some [600,000 to 1,000,000 hair follicles]( per square inch—more than [six times]( as much as we have on our entire heads. Most of the time we see them in the wild, they’re floating on their backs, maybe snacking on a crab or sea urchin using their tummies as tables. They even hold hands while they sleep floating on their backs. Everything about them is adorable—which is why everyone loves Sea Otter Awareness week, created by a US-based environmental advocacy group. (And why we’re making [a special exception]( to our “only one majestic marine creature per week” rule.) But there’s so much more to sea otters than their looks. “They’re pretty badass,” says Sarah McKay Strobel, a graduate student studying ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Santa Cruz. Like so many of the best things, they’re [endangered;]( their population was decimated by the pelt trade of the 19th and 20th centuries, and even though they’re protected in the US, recent mysterious [shark attacks]( and neurotoxins in their food supply have prevented a full bounce-back. 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [3:]( Number of subspecies of sea otters. Southern sea otters live off the coast of California, northern sea otters live up in Alaska and along the Aleutian islands, and then there are Asian sea otters (the least studied). [4.9 feet:]( length of a sea otter, in feet [99 pounds:]( Maximum weight of sea otters, in pounds [25%:]( Percentage of their own body weight sea otters need to eat daily [8:]( Maximum number of minutes sea otters can hold their breath [330:]( Maximum number of feet sea otters can dive [300,000:]( Global sea otter population in the early 1700s, before the fur trade. [2,000:]( Number of sea otters remaining at the end of the the fur trade, in 1911 [106,000:]( Estimate of global sea otters today—about 3,000 live in California 100%: Mischievous, according to Strobel Charted Got the munchies --------------------------------------------------------------- [atlas_Hyjqc4MLf@2x] Sea otters are the smallest warm-blooded creatures that spend the vast majority of their time in the sea. This means that otters have to keep warm by eating constantly. Their consumption of mussels, abalones, crabs, clams, and other crustaceans and small fish can reach about 25% of their body weight daily. Strobel and her team have found that sea otters have [incredibly sensitive paws and whiskers]( which likely helps them quickly find food underwater. Sponsored by Quickbase What’s Holding Your Team Back? --------------------------------------------------------------- Your team has a lot to manage – from projects to clients to budgets – but emailing around spreadsheets is holding them back. Boost productivity with an easy-to-use solution as unique as your business.[Empower your team today]( Giphy Explain it like I’m 5! Fur like no otter --------------------------------------------------------------- The things that make sea otters such adorable video stars—their fluff and their grooming—are [adaptations to their lack of blubber](. The top layer of their fur consists of waterproof guard hairs and the inner layer traps air like a down coat—which explains why their pelts were so sought after. (Baby sea otters have fluff [so thick they float.]( But it’s not maintenance-free. Diving underwater forces air out of their fur, so grooming puts it back, like fluffing a pillow (aww!). Fun fact![Screen Shot 2018-09-27 at 10.53.52 AM] It’s true! The theory is that this allows them to [groom their magnificent coats with added flexibility](. Just the facts You otter know --------------------------------------------------------------- Unlike dolphins or sea lions, who look obviously suited to swim through the dark ocean waters, sea otters have it rough. They’re members of the Mustelidae family, which makes them the animal cousins of minks, weasels, ferrets, and wolverines. Although their fur keeps them warm, they’re the only mammals who live essentially full-time in ocean water without blubber, which functions like a big fatty wetsuit. This means they have to forage and eat constantly and hope that the filter feeders they snack on are free from [neurotoxins](. Sea otters are scrappy, and it’s a good thing they are too—they play a key role in ocean ecosystems. Without otters’ voracious appetites, sea urchins destroy kelp forests that house hundreds of other species and [absorb carbon dioxide from the water.]( On the other hand, a handful of studies have highlighted the dark side of [some otters, who display aggressive sexual behavior](. The Monterey Bay Aquarium [notes]( that gender imbalances in the sea otter population introduced by the fur trade are at least partly to blame. AP Photo/Reed Saxon Pop quiz What do you call a group of floating sea otters? A romp A raftA snuggleA harem Correct. Correct! Incorrect. A romp is a group of river otters, a harem is a group of seals, and a snuggle is just what it looks a lot like. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Quotable “They’re constantly interacting and exploring their environment…It’s kind of like they’re toddlers in a way because they’re always doing something, which I guess makes sense when you think about their wild behavior. They’re very rambunctious, energetic, constantly-moving animals.” —Sarah McKay Strobel, a graduate student at UCSC, on sea otter personalities and behavior One of those days, eh? Lights, camera, sea otters --------------------------------------------------------------- While it may not seem productive to watch videos of otters, one 2014 study suggests that looking at cute things can make us happier and pay more attention to detail by [narrowing our focus.]( Here are four stellar sea otter live cams to check out. [🎥 Monterey Bay Aquarium, California]( [🎥 Seattle Aquarium]( [🎥 Vancouver Aquarium]( [🎥 Elkhorn Slough]( Poll Zooey Deschanel named her daughter after an otter. Would you do the same? [Click here to vote]( Sure, if my significant otter is cool with itThat's otter nonsense 💬let's talk! In yesterday’s poll about [cereal,]( it was a nearly-unprecedented three-way tie between Froot Loops, Grape Nuts, and “dust.” 📧 Kyle wrote: Ha! I’ve been eating (and cooking) Hot Buttered O’s since I was a preschooler. They’re my go-to snack when I want a “nuttier” popcorn. Most people think I’m nuts when I discuss it, and a strong subset (though minority) of them think I’m nuts after they eat it. The fact that they got a mention in your article vindicates my strenuous defense of the foodstuff. Thanks for the obsession. 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