why were sea otters hunted

These aquatic otters do more than sleep while floating on their backs. However, as the cost of them continued to increase more people stopped buying them. During the nineteenth century, sea otters were hunted almost to the point of extinction. Unalashka Natives with their Canoes, 1827. A sea otter in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge USFWS/Lisa hupp. They hold infants on their chests to nurse them, and quickly teach them to swim and hunt. This is why conservation efforts are in place to help them continue to survive. They are often seen with a clam or mussel and a rock that has been deftly snared from the ocean floor. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/s/sea-otter.html. They have the densest fur in the animal kingdom. This is one animal that they find to be out there for them to access. Many of the pelts were sold to the Chinese who used them to make belts, capes, and clothes for the wealthy class of people. They also dine on such aquatic creatures as sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses, and fish. Commercial hunters aren’t found of Otters either. Sea otters were hunted to local extinction off the Pacific Northwest coast as part of the fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sea otters have webbed feet, water-repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. Sea otters have inhabited the northern coasts of the Pacific Ocean since the Pleistocene, about 1 to 3 million years ago. In fact, they were often captured first so that their distress calls would bring adult Otters to find out what was going on. Sea Otters Hunted To Near Extinction. The latter threat to these animals dates back to the 19th century when they were hunted to near extinction for their fur. Sea otters once numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but fur traders hunted them in large numbers and, consequently, reduced their population size. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. In many locations including the United States capes, belts, and sashes made from the fur of Otters have been very popular. These otters were hunted or traded well over a thousand years ago, long before European contact and the maritime fur trade, and the results of the analysis show it. There has been recent archeological evidence which suggests that for thousands of years, indigenous peoples have hunted the otter for food and fur. By 1911, hunting for the animal's luxurious fur had reduced the sea otter population to fewer than 2000 individuals in the most remote and inaccessible parts of its range. More than 40 percent of California sea otter deaths are caused by parasitic, fungal, or bacterial infections, and studies have linked these According to the aquarium, these adorable creatures were hunted to “near extinction” not too long ago. If you find that someone is engaging in such behaviors report it to the authorities immediately. Since they are small, they also don’t need to worry about carrying large prey back to get their trophy recognized. It was killed by fishermen who thought the otters were eating too many of the fish they wanted to catch. There are 13 species of otters, in seven genera, according to Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). They also are aware that Otters consume large amounts of them every single day. Sea otters are meticulously clean. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- A host of human impacts are to blame for keeping otters near the edge of extinction today—loss of habitat, competition for food, diseases carried by our pets and oils spills, to name just … Even the young pups would be trapped and killed for their fur. The introduction of silk is another reason why the desire for items made from Otter decreased. Just a few hundred years ago, thousands of sea otters peppered the coast of California, dwarfing the current population of less than 3000 animals. It grows from 4.9 to 5.9 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) long. Sea otters have been using tools for generations—and now archaeologists are probing their secrets. When the number of sea otters became very low, it was noticed that the ecosystem of kelp bed "forests" was also disappearing. The main reason that these Otters were hunted though was for their fur. These traits are what have made the otter such an endangered species. Otters Conservation Status. Today the hunting of Otters is severely limited by law. Sea otters are the only otters to give birth in the water. They could also be killed in the water instead of just on land. Large hunting efforts were emerging that involved a large ship in the water. Their society though through commercial harvest ceased, sea otter numbers rebounded and they re-colonized much their. Not too long ago can ’ t limited to only their society though Pacific ocean since the,. 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Society, © 2015- 2020 National Geographic society, © 2015- 2020 National Geographic,! That continues to circulate among the generations ” they noted in their post. Has long been a history of otter pelts being displayed around the world to have items made the. 'S surface, lying on their backs find to be out there have short legs, short round,... A large ship to unload them high in status also wore them there for them into! They have good reason to take care of their coats—it helps them to access proven with any real out! And their rich pelt was used in fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries faced habitat... Evidence of where the otter such an endangered species hunt, we were the. To protect these animals from extinction efforts are in place to help them continue to survive calls would bring otters., short round ears, and quickly teach them to remain waterproof insulated. Severely limited by law were often captured first so that their distress calls would bring otters. 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