Shows
The sea otters at the Aquarium are famous for being cute and fluffy, but there’s more to them than being adorable. To a sea urchin, crab or clam, a sea otter is a fearsome predator. Unlike whales and dolphins, they have no blubber to keep them warm in the chilly water, so they have to eat up to 30 percent of their body weight every day. Learn more about these cutely voracious predators during this show.
Elfin and Tanu, two of the otters at the Aquarium, were rescued when they were just babies. They were so young that they didn’t know how to eat by themselves or groom themselves yet. Dedicated staff had to bottle-feed and groom them until they learned how to do it themselves. Now, Elfin is over ten years old and Tanu is over five years old, and they’re thriving in their Aquarium habitat.
Find out how to rescue a sea otter
Sea otters are found only in the ocean and are rarely seen on land. River otters swim in rivers, streams and the ocean, and often come on shore. A sea otter’s tail appears much shorter than a river otter’s. Sea otters have paddle-shaped hind limbs, whereas the river otters have webbed paws. Sea otters spend a lot of their time floating on their backs—they rest, groom and eat in this position. River otters do not.
Visit our sea otters AquaFacts
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Experience the Jelly Invasion
May 16 to November 12, 2013
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97 percent of all animals on Earth are invertebrates.
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