We exit Nicoll Highway MRT to see the entire family of Bishan otters and a few photographers right beside the Kallang river. The nostrils and ears close when underwater. Sea Otter Viewing Tips Here are some viewing tips to help you enjoy watching sea otters and other marine wildlife in a safe and responsible way. Floating Behavior. In a sudden burst of enthusiasm, they climb up the embankment, race past us and roll around on the grass, the river water spraying off their shiny bodies in the rising sun. Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. When eating, sea otters roll in the water frequently, apparently to wash food scraps from their fur. Instances like this are more unique, as they get people excited. If you come across a sea otter you think is sick, injured or abandoned, please give it space and call The Marine Mammal Center’s stranding hotline at (415) 289-7325. They do most of their foraging within about half a mile of shore. Scientists don’t quite know when the Bay Area’s otters started to return. Often travel in groups: bachelor males, and females with litters. Without sea otters, sea urchins would devour the kelp forests off the coast that provide cover and food for many other marine animals. The sea otter's body is highly buoyant because of its large lung capacity – about 2.5 times greater than that of similar-sized land mammals – and the air trapped in its fur. Enhydra lutrisSea otters live in the nearshore marine ecosystem. Ollie loves to roll around in the kelp beds and look curiously at all the faces looking back at him. Otters habitually roll around in grass, making flattened areas, but also collecting and clumping up vegetation into little mounds. While they’re mostly found by bodies of water, Yong Lin says that otters “do surprise you once in awhile” by wandering far off into dry land. The sea otter walks with a clumsy, rolling gait on land, and can run in a bounding motion. It’s not everyday you get to witness wildlife right smack in the middle of a city. Foraging. The sea otter hunts in short dives, often to the sea floor. They’re also considered a keystone species because of their critical importance to the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystem. Both northern and southern sea otters once inhabited the Oregon coast. Northern sea otters are found in the Aleutian Islands, Southern Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. Southern sea otters, also known as California sea otters, live in the waters along the California coastline and range from San Mateo County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south. The infamous Exxon Valdez spill killed at least several hundred sea otters and affected the sea otter population in Prince William Sound for well over a decade, according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. We exit Nicoll Highway MRT to see the entire family of Bishan otters and a few photographers right beside the Kallang river. Sea Otters give birth to their pup in the water and very rarely ever give birth on land. Otters also slide when traveling away from water, primarily on snow. In this case, tracks will be interspersed with long belly slides. They sleep this way, often gathered in groups. Otter live to around 12 years old in the wild, and longer in captivity. There are 13 species of otters around the world, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. This is one of the reasons why researchers feel it has been able to adapt to changes in the environment so well. After birth the female watches her cub and grooms the pup’s hair on her chest for the first few hours. While they’re mostly found by bodies of water, Yong Lin says that otters “do surprise you once in awhile” by wandering far off into dry land. Experts speculate their recovery is related to the statewide ban on hunting of all species of otter, including sea otters, in 1962. Instances like this are more unique, as they get people excited. Whiskers sense vibrations in the water. Ten years later, the federal government established the Clean Water Act, and the sludgy waterways near San Francisco gradually improved.