Questions and answers about the amateur use of carbon fiber epoxy composites for bicycle frame construction, taken largely from my e-mail correspondence. Tip: In most operating systems, pressing Ctrl+F will bring up the Find (On this page) dialogue box.
Sea Otter. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family and the smallest marine mammal. Ninety percent of the worldâs sea otters live in coastal Alaska. The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects sea otters. It prohibits commercial harvest of sea otters, and allows Alaska natives to hunt sea otters for subsistence and creation of handicrafts. Sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction in the late 1700s and 1800s through commercial harvest for their luxurious furs. Once commercial harvest ceased, sea otter numbers rebounded and they re-colonized much of their former range. Sea otter numbers have declined in southwestern Alaska over the past 20 years.
There are also other types of otters, such as the river otter, but sea otters are distinctly different from other otters. They are adapted to living their entire lives in the water, whereas other otters live on land and merely hunt in water.Unlike other marine mammals, such as seals and dolphins, sea otters do not rely on a layer of fat to insulate their bodies from the cold water. Instead, they have a thick fur which keeps them warm.Adult sea otters average about 1.3 meters (4 feet) in length and about 20-45 kilograms (45-100 pounds) in weight.n fact, sea otters help create kelp beds, by eating urchins and other kelp-eating animals. Otters are usually found congregated together into groups called rafts. Male otters form separate rafts from female otters. Not all otters live in rafts.