Why do sea otters matter to kelp forests?

They eat sea urchins that graze kelp

Sea Otter Quiz: Kelp Anchoring, Dense Fur and Rock Tools

This sea otter quiz floats on its back among the kelp of the North Pacific. Play 10 interactive questions on the densest fur in the animal kingdom, no blubber, wrapping in kelp to sleep, holding paws in rafts, cracking shellfish on a favorite rock, an armpit pouch, eating sea urchins to protect kelp forests and recovery after the fur trade.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Ocean
Which ocean do sea otters live in?
Fur
What record does sea otter fur hold?
Warm
How do sea otters stay warm without blubber?
Sleep
What do otters do to avoid drifting while asleep?
Raft
What is a group of resting sea otters called?
Tool
What do sea otters use to crack shellfish?
Pouch
Where do they store a favorite rock?
Urchins
Why do sea otters matter to kelp forests?
Appetite
Roughly how much do they eat each day?
History
What nearly wiped out sea otters?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which ocean do sea otters live in?
Answer: The North Pacific
California and Alaska host many.
Q2: What record does sea otter fur hold?
Answer: Densest fur of any animal
Up to about a million hairs per square inch.
Q3: How do sea otters stay warm without blubber?
Answer: Air trapped in dense fur
Grooming keeps fur fluffy.
Q4: What do otters do to avoid drifting while asleep?
Answer: Wrap themselves in kelp
Kelp works like an anchor.
Q5: What is a group of resting sea otters called?
Answer: A raft
Some hold paws.
Q6: What do sea otters use to crack shellfish?
Answer: Rocks
They pound shells on their chests.
Q7: Where do they store a favorite rock?
Answer: In a skin pouch under the arm
It holds food too.
Q8: Why do sea otters matter to kelp forests?
Answer: They eat sea urchins that graze kelp
They are a keystone species.
Q9: Roughly how much do they eat each day?
Answer: About a quarter of their body weight
Cold water burns energy.
Q10: What nearly wiped out sea otters?
Answer: The fur trade
A 1911 treaty helped protect them.

Fur, Kelp and Rock Tools

Sea otters live in the North Pacific, from California to Alaska and Russia. Unlike seals and whales, they have no blubber. Instead they have the densest fur of any animal, up to about a million hairs per square inch, which traps air to keep them warm. They groom often to keep it fluffy.

To avoid drifting while asleep, sea otters wrap themselves in kelp, and groups called rafts sometimes hold paws. They float on their backs and crack shellfish by pounding them on a rock balanced on the chest, keeping a favorite rock in a skin pouch under the arm.

Sea otters eat about a quarter of their body weight daily. By eating sea urchins that graze on kelp, they protect kelp forests, making them a keystone species. The fur trade nearly wiped them out, and a 1911 treaty helped start their recovery.

What This Quiz Teaches

Marine life fans will enjoy these questions.

Where sea otters live
How they stay warm
How they sleep
How they use tools
Why they matter

Did You Know?

Pups float on their mothers' bellies.
Otters can close their ears and nostrils underwater.
Oil spills are a major threat.
Monterey Bay Aquarium rescues pups.
They are the heaviest weasel family members.