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The Fantastic Fur of Sea Otters – Deep Look

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Sea otters are creatures who live in water that’s far too cold for their bodies. There are other animals, like whales and sea lions, that are insulated from the cold by blubber, a layer of fat under their skin, but as Adelphi University Biologist Heather Liwanag explains, “If an otter were to use blubber to stay warm, the amount of blubber it would need would be bigger than the otter.”

So how do sea otters keep their small bodies warm in the Pacific Ocean’s frigid temperatures? Let’s take a closer look at their fantastic fur… or more specifically, at the layer of air that their fantastically thick and textured fur can trap close to their skin. This is Deep Look: The Fantastic Fur of Sea Otters.

Related watching: more Deep Look videos and more otters, including Shedd Aquarium’s sea otter orphan and the surprising way that baby otters get swimming lessons.


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