do sea otters eat sea urchins
The main part of the coral reefs is located in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The sea urchin is the leading food for the sea otter, by consuming sea urchins, the sea otter can maintain a balance of Eco-system. Still hungry, the otter dives below the surface again. Quickly spinning the sea urchin in her paws, she breaks off the prickly spines. [57] The sea otter's use of rocks when hunting and feeding makes it one of the few mammal species to use tools. An otter's canine teeth are strong and sharp enough to rip open shells, and the rest of their teeth are strong enough to grind and crunch their way through the toughest of materials. Otter populations are growing in Southeast Alaska, Katchemak Bay … While sea otters were unaffected by wasting disease and continued to eat large urchins, the populations of medium-sized urchins exploded by over 300% and the density of … Otters get urchin shells open primarily be hitting them, either with a rock or against a rock. Also hedgehogs are often found in coastal waters. The kelp can flourish, providing habitat for many ocean organisms. But you'd be wrong! The Symbiotic Relationship Between a Barnacle Living on a Whale's Skin. Purple sea urchins on rocky reef amid kelp forest. But they eat enough to drop numbers significantly. In turn, sea urchins serve as food for many species of fish, birds, sea stars, lobsters, fur seals, but the largest hunter on sea urchins is the sea otter. A Sea Otter's Diet Sea otters eat a wide variety of prey, including marine invertebrates such as echinoderms (sea stars and sea urchins), crustaceans (e.g., crabs), cephalopods (e.g., squid), bivalves (clams, mussels, abalone), gastropods (snails), and chitons. Sea otter resting on the ocean surface, grasping a purple sea urchin it has just pulled up off the ocean floor. They have an interesting method of eating their prey. Because they have to eat so much, otters spend a lot of their time hunting and foraging for food -- they can dive more 300 feet when they're on the hunt. Sea urchins are related to starfish and look like small, purple hedgehogs. Because of the urchin's hard, spiny shell, otters have to work a … When you see a sea urchin, you probably don't think that these spiny, scary-looking creatures are edible. If both teams show the same character, no one wins. Their seafood smorgasbord includes more than 100 types of marine invertebrates such as crab, clams, abalone, octopus and sea urchins. Did you know? Different types of otter, including sea otters and river otters, eat a wide variety of sea creatures, including urchins. Sea otters are provided a varied diet while in human care. They leave behind desolate areas called urchin barrens. Because they are not exposed to predators, and do not have to forage for prey, they are provided with environmental enrichment in their habitat to keep them entertained. They hunt three to four times every day, relying primarily on their vision and touch. A large number of sea urchins live on coral reefs. The most important criterion for the living of sea urchins is the salinity of water, they are not found in the salty seas (Black Sea, Caspian and part of the Baltic Sea). Tune into our LIVE Sea Otter Cam for your daily dose of sea otter cuteness. Sea otters do an excellent job of eating large sea urchins over eight centimetres in diameter, but they tend to leave behind smaller urchins. Sea urchin, usually called uni, is actually a delicacy in many parts of the world. Purple sea urchins are devouring the kelp forest off California's coast. Otter Eating image by Dawn from Fotolia.com. Some otters eat so many urchins that their teeth, skulls and skeletons are stained purple! The sea urchin’s main predators are crabs, lobsters, starfish, eels, sea otters, birds, and a number of large fish. When otters are present, urchins hide in crevices and snack on kelp scraps. This inc… Sea otters, which can eat nearly 1,000 sea urchins a … And sea urchins eat kelp. He says otters do not remove all sea urchins. What Is the Difference Between a Sea Nettle & a Jelly Fish? What Are the Suction Cups Used for on the Tentacles of a Squid? And kelp forests provide homes to lots of small marine creatures, including crabs. They may be cute and cuddly-looking, but otters are equipped to do serious damage with their choppers. Fortunately, sea otters have an appetite for sea urchins and they help to keep sea urchins in check, allowing the kelp to flourish and capture CO 2. Sea urchins excrete waste matter through the top of their bodies. Their appetite for these invertebrate species exerts a strong influence on prey size and number and how they live and move in their habitat. A sea otter's diet consists mainly of slow-moving fishes and marine invertebrates including crabs, sea urchins, abalones, clams, mussels, and snails. An otter's paws and whiskers are particularly important for finding food in dark waters. To eat large sea urchins, which are mostly covered with spines, the sea otter bites through the underside where the spines are shortest, and licks the soft contents out of the urchin's shell. Sea otters are foragers that eat mostly hard-shelled invertebrates, including sea urchins and a variety of clams, mussels, and crabs. Sea otters play a crucial role in maintaining the stability of the shoreline population and ecosystem. In places where sea otters have disappeared, sea urchins will eat the kelp forest until it’s gone. Filmed as they float on their backs, cracking open sea urchins, crabs, abalones and other shellfish with flat stones before eating them, the animal is certainly an endearing sight. 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