Sea Otters Use Tools

Did you know that sea otters are members of the weasel family?  Sea otters are marine mammals with soft fur and big appetites.  Their fur is so soft and warm that they were once hunted for their fur.  Before hunters discovered the sea otter's value, there were about 300,000 sea otters that lived in the ocean.  But after 270 years, only 1,000-2,000 sea otters remained.

Today there are over 100,000 sea otters along the Pacific coast.

Sea Otter With a Clam
Sea otters use rocks like tools.  When they find a shellfish for a meal, they use small rocks to either open the shell or to break it open. Sometimes you can hear "Knock, knock, knock," when a nearby otter is trying to break open a nice fat clam shell.





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