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Southern Sea Otter

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Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) images and facts - this gallery boasts a stunning display of stock photos showing the unique character of the southern sea otter in countless different positions. Images of them eating, swimming, and even interacting with humans can be found here. The southern sea otter is found along the California coast and share the basic physical characteristics of all sea otters, but they are the smallest of the subspecies. They are also described as having narrow skulls with a longer rostrum and smaller teeth than the other two subspecies.

Conservation status | Threatened > Endangered
Scientific classification | Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Mammalia > Order: Carnivora > Family: Mustelidae > Subfamily: Lutrinae > Genus: Enhydra > Species: Enhydra lutris > Subspecies: Enhydra lutris nereis

Historically, there were believed to be some 20,000 southern sea otters on the West Coast of North America, from Oregon to the Mexican Baja Peninsula. They were hunted relentlessly from 1784 to 1840, and were believed extinct until a group of around 40 individuals was spotted in 1914. Sea otters were again found near Big Sur in 1938. Thanks to the International Fur Trade Treaty of 1911, these remnant populations of sea otters were not subject to hunting, and over time, their population started to recover. They now inhabit half their former range, from Half Moon Bay near San Francisco to Point Conception near Santa Barbara, CA.

There have been some efforts by conservationists to increase the range of southern sea otters by translocating them to areas in their former range. From 1987 to 1990, 140 otters were moved to San Nicolas Island, not far from Los Angeles. This population was projected to reach 400 or more by the year 2000. The effort proved a failure, as 15 years later, there were only 40 sea otters remaining at San Nicolas.

Fortunately, southern sea otters have fared better in their current natural range than they did on San Nicolas. In spring of 2007, scientists of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who researched southern sea otters throughout their range, recorded a count of 3,026 southern sea otters. This represented a 12.4% increase over the previous year's count of 2,692. Scientists were encouraged by the 3-year running average increase, which is used to evaluate the overall trend in sea otter numbers.

Although their populations have increased, southern sea otters still remain in danger from shark attack, outboard motor injuries, toxic chemical runoff in the water, parasitic illness, and accidentally being caught in fishing nets. Because of this, they remain a cause for concern to conservationists, who keep a close eye on southern sea otter populations and potential threats.

The U.S. Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) lists California sea otters as a Threatened species. California state law lists it as a fully protected mammal by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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