The largest of the seal species, the southern elephant seal can grow up to almost 8,000 pounds and 20 feet long for adult males, while adult females are a bit smaller at 2000 pounds and 10 feet in length. Another significant difference is the number of offspring these creatures have. They weigh between 45kg to 3,200kg . Read the rules here. Lastly, seals use blubber under their thick skin to keep them warm when they spend time in the water, but otters have dense, two-layered fur that keeps them insulated. Contact us today. They are basically carnivores. They move to land to escape some predators like sharks. Honor A Loved One's Milestone Or Memory With A Donation In Their Name. The most famous in the United States, the California seal lion can be found all along the West coast of North America. Conversely, river otters mate with multiple partners during the course of their lives. Southern sea otters are approximately four feet in length and weigh on average between 45-65 pounds. Answers: These three are all sea otters (credit: Deanna Lynch/USFWS) while the first and last photos in this blog are river otters (credit: Barry Troutman). River otters actually have two layers of short, coarse fur. Parents can be as bad as siblings. It might be because river otters have to fight the strong currents of a river and catch their food and fish. Less like Flipper and more like the megalomaniacal King Snorky of The Simpsons, a dolphin has a permanent smile that gives off a decidedly creepy vibe. Sea Otters have an average lifespan of 15-20 years but in captivity, some live over 25 years. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Plus, their overall diets, lifespans, and locations differ from one another, not to mention how different they are in appearance! There are many distinguishing features between a river otter vs sea otter. But if theres any marine vertebrate that wins the title of the squickiest, its dolphins. This is especially problematic in Monterey Bay, where there are more male sea otters than females. Sea otters have the densest fur in the entire animal kingdom with up to one million hairs covering each square inch of their body. The elephant seal can weigh up to 6,000lbs and grows 20ft long. Male river otters are extremely territorial, while sea otters form more friendships and bonds with one another overall. Otter belongs to the Mustelidae family while the seal belongs to the Phocidae family. The naturalistic fallacy refers to the misguided belief that whatever is natural is good. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Known as Pygoscelis adeliae to scientists, and as the Socially Awkward Penguin through memes, the Adlie penguin was one of the subjects that caught the attention of scientist George Murray Levick while he ventured to the South Pole with the 1910-13 Scott Antarctic Expedition. Only your votes can decide who moves on for a chance at a deep-dive feature story. For if such awful displays occurred in nature, what might that say about our own actions? Decreasing sea ice cover is preventing Emperor penguins from finding food and sheltering their babies. River otters build dens on the riverbanks and care for their young there. When I first heard about the behavior from a marine biologist friend of mine, I didnt quite believe sea otters could be so diabolical. In desperation, some male Adlie penguins tried to mate with the ground until they ejaculated. Taxonomically speaking, river otters and sea otters are different genera. For example, sea lions are sometimes believed to be seals, but that is not the case. Their swimming mechanisms are also a little different. Today, were in round two of the Sweet Sixteen, and the winners of our Fins and Flippers division are going head to head. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, out of around 50 species of seahorses, all but one are vulnerable or threatened. North American River Otter Among birds, parents under stress to provide for their offspring during rough years may boot eggs from their nests or kill some of their own chicks so that others might survive. Not to mention that we nearly eradicated sea otters out of lust for their pelts, and we continue to keep dolphins confined in small, hard-walled, unhealthy environments for nothing more than our amusement. While both species enjoy the company of many otters, sea otters form powerful partnerships with their chosen mate. : Most all seal species are carnivorous. or contact 1.888.780.6763, Seafood Species Vulnerable to Climate Change. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. difference between sea otter and penguinhazbin hotel cherri bomb removed. There are nearly 2,000 different species! Terms & Conditions. Delivered in the scientific deadpan required of such papers, the Aquatic Mammals report attributes the incidents to three male sea otters observed harassing, dragging, guarding, and copulating with harbor seals, persisting for up to seven days after the otters killed the objects of their misguided advances. Sea otters spend the majority of their time in the ocean, while river otters spend their lives on land unless they need to hunt or travel elsewhere. Otter endangered status varies by species and location. Male sea otters can weigh up to 99 pounds, while female sea otters typically weigh around 44 pounds. * {{quote-news, year=2013, date=April 9, author=Andrei Lankov, title=Stay Cool. One naturalist was so thoroughly disgusted with the sexual behaviors of Adlie penguins that his observations were hidden from view for almost a century. Male bottlenose dolphins will sometimes team up to target a single female and harass her persistently, forcing her to mate with them despite her attempts to escape. Sea otters will be in the sea, river otters will be in the river. Lets dive in and get started! Most seal species are currently not considered endangered, according to the IUCN Red List. They also feed on invertebrates and small animals found in the sea. Sea otters, conversely, are found only in salt water and rarely go on land. They are mostly solitary but come together in groups to mate. North American River Otters weigh between 10 pounds to 25 pounds and grow up to 3 feet in length. The underfur is the layer closest to the body, and this fur functions to insulate their body and keep warm in very cold conditions. They even have the adorable habit of floating on their backs, even while theyre eating, and have been known to hold hands with each other while sleeping so they dont drift apart from their pals! Sea otters are slow swimmers, while their river-living counterparts are rather agile. However, sea otters are only found in salt water and very rarely make their way onto land. Our work is focused on solving some of the greatest threats facing our ocean today. For example, the seal and otter are two animals that have a lot in common and are often confused for one another. union county latest news Ribbon Seals have a maximum lifespan of about 30 years, but they likely live about 20 years. They are also known as fin-footed mammals. Yet, if the two creatures are closer in size, then you will need to rely on other methods of differentiating them. I'm a freelance writer with 8 years of experience. There are 13 species of otters. They are commonly known as pinnipeds. You might think an otter is an otter, but hopefully, this article showed you that while two creatures can be called otters, they are very different. River otters weigh between 11 and 31 pounds. Asian Small-Clawed Otters will live around 12 years in captivity but lifespan in the wild is really unknown, with an estimated number of 5,000 left in the world. Did You Know. Both types of otters need their coats to form a layer of insulation that traps air to keep them warm, and they certainly need it when areas like the Pacific dip to chilly temperatures that are often between 35 and 60 (and even lower than that as you move up the coast toward Alaska and Canada)! Though most species occur in cold-water environments. And kelp forests are good at storing carbon: a study in 2012 found that the presence of otters helped carbon storage in North American kelp forests surge. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Contact Us The species are either aquatic or semi-aquatic depending on the species. Asian Small-Clawed Otters have a classification of Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List while Sea and Giant Otters are listed as Endangered as of today. Thank you for reading! River otters are smaller than sea otters in both length and weight. Another motherly difference is how these two creatures care for their young. A 2010 study found that a toxin found in blue-green algae called microcystin had killed at least 21 California sea otters. These are the major differences between seals and otters, and their unique qualities become even more prominent when you look closer at these two creatures. Sure, dolphins may now and then help fishermen looking to snag fish, but dolphins intelligence and social complexity have endowed them with a suite of behaviors that make them seem less adorable than their carefully-groomed theme park images suggest. Thus, an otter is more closely related to a wolverine than it is to a seal. Answer: I can only speak about North American otters, of which there are two species: * Enhydra lutris - Generally called a "Sea Otter". River otters will achieve maturity between the ages of two and three, while female sea otters mature between ages three and five, and males even later between ages five and seven. River otters and sea otters have different lifespans. They are both weasel family members, as evident by their long, slender bodies. Sea otters have back feet that are larger than their front feet, and much larger than the feet of a river otter. Seals spend less time in the water than otters. But no, the strange sea otter attacks on baby seals are a reality and have even made their way into the technical literature. Careers, 2023 SeaQuest, All Rights Reserved. At Georgia Aquarium, guests can see our southern sea otters in ourCold Water Questgallery and our Asian small-clawed otters in ourSouthern Company River Scoutgallery. Sea otters are mainly native to the northeastern seaboards of the Pacific Ocean, so they aren't spotted in areas like the East Coast or the Gulf of Mexico. Georgia Aquarium, along with other zoos and aquariums, work tirelessly to educate and inspire guests, while providing our otters the best veterinary and nutritional care. While it may be obvious, river otters are found in rivers while sea otters are found in the sea. Sea otters commit to one another and raise one pup at a time. Maybe the bad behavior was just a rumor. There are twelve different sub-species of river otter, but only three separate sub-species of the sea otter. In Antarctica, the Adlie, chinstrap, and gentoo penguins flourished under warming that caused ice sheets to shrink. This is an important distinction to make, as sea otters are especially clumsy when they get on land! They display sexual dimorphism. There are about 33 species in this family. If a male cant find a mate because of his youth or inability to chase off competitors, Harris and co-authors suggest, he might search for a female surrogate that may take the form of a young otter or, as in their study, seal pups.