North American river otters, like most predators, prey upon the most readily accessible species. Fish is a favored food among the otters, but they also consume various amphibians (such as salamanders and frogs), freshwater clams, mussels, snails, small turtles and crayfish. However, most wild otters are carnivorous, with the sea otter being a tiny exception since it does include seaweed and kelp in its diet. These furry marine mammals are one of only a few marine animals known to use tools to obtain their food. They aren’t picky eaters though as they will consume just about anything they can find to survive on. Once they locate their prey, the giant river otters proceed to capture and consume them. 7 fascinating facts about giant otters As the name suggests, the giant otter is the world's largest otter species and is well-known from wildlife documentaries. Many otters eat tough food, particularly sea otters that inhabit the shallow coastal waters of the northern Pacific. The otter is much smaller than the sea lions and seals, so the killer whales must eat more to get the same nourishment. 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. This species has also been spotted in other parts of Europe, China, Eastern Russia, South East, and South Asia, as well as North Africa. Sea bream, horse mackerel, sardines, flounder, scallops, greater amberjack, and red bream were ready to eat sashimi. 1 Basic Info 1.1 Dossier 1.2 Behavior 1.3 Appearance 1.4 Color Scheme and Regions 1.5 Drops 1.6 Base Stats and Growth 1.6.1 Wild Stats Level-up 2 Combat 2.1 General 2.2 Strategy 2.3 Dangers 2.4 Weakness 3 Taming 4 Utility 4.1 Roles 4.2 Collectibles 5 Spotlight 6 Notes 7 Changelog 8 Gallery 9 … They can store extra food, and rocks used as tools, in these pockets. The river otter food chain consists mostly of fish. Sea otters eat shellfish and other invertebrates (especially clams, abalone, and sea urchins). Sea otters eat a wide range of marine animals, including mussels, clams, urchins, abalone, crabs, snails and about 40 other marine species, equaling approximately 25 percent of their weight in food each day, according to Defenders of Wildlife. They enjoy carp, sunfish, minnows, suckers, sculpin and salmonids such as trout and salmon. The diet of otters reflects the environment they live in. The river otter food web plays a crucial role in the environments the river otter calls home. The most common fish consumed are perch, suckers, and catfish. This mammal is mainly aquatic and will mostly be found residing next to perennial or seasonal rivers. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Neritic Zone: Definition, Animal Life, and Characteristics, 5 Environmental Consequences of Oil Spills, Echinoderms: Starfish, Sand Dollars, and Sea Urchins, M.S., Resource Administration and Management, University of New Hampshire, B.S., Natural Resources, Cornell University. Using their webbed feet, which are well adapted for swimming, sea otters can dive more than 200 feet and stay underwater for up to 5 minutes. River otters prefer larger fish due to ease of capture; larger prey gives river otters more energy as well. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Besides, they also prefer to eat crabs, large barnacles, mussels, snails, tubeworms, clams, squid, octopuses, chitons, scallops, sea cucumbers, sea stars and abalone. With the ability to smell concentrations of fish and their high metabolisms, otters spend most of their time hunting for their next meal. They can use a rock to dislodge mollusks and urchins from the rocks where they are attached. River otters are apex predators in their food web. â … FactsKing.com / Animal Facts / 8 Top Predators of Sea Otters that Eat Sea Otter Sea otters are sea mammals native to the eastern and northern parts of the North Pacific Ocean. Within these seas, they are usually found in the vicinity of the shore (which is typically rocky). They’re renowned for preying on hard-shelled marine invertebrates, including abalones, sea urchins, clams, mussels and crabs, usually fracturing the shells with their teeth. Otters are mammals classified under the family Mustelidae. Therefore, sea otters need to eat daily and eat 20 to 25% of food from their own weight. When they are hungry for larger game, otters will attack birds, young beavers, and muskrats. This suggests that otters are able to temporally exploit marginal areas and feeding on other locally abundant prey (Lizana and Pérez Mellado, 1990, Weber, 2008). What Are The Building Blocks of Proteins? Otters occasionally take water birds such as coots, moorhens and … In their role as predators, otters help regulate the local population of the organisms they consume. Otters weigh 35-90 pounds (males weigh more than females). As suggested by its name, the giant river otter is the largest otter species, and it is often referred to as the river wolf. During the day they are in their dens on the land, staying cool, coming out at night to eat. Otters eat from 15% to 25% of their body weight each day. Outside of fish, river otters will also eat crustaceans, insects, birds, oysters, shellfish, turtles and a number of other aquatic life. Sea otters can be found close to certain seas near Alaska, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and the country of Russia. The giant river otters are excellent predators. They have a unique foraging habit because they use rocks to kill their prey. Otters will mainly feed on fish (40-90% of their diet)and will take a variety of species depending on the time of year, species such as carp, stickleback and eels. You have entered an incorrect email address! For example, it can easily catch 8-10 kilogram pike. Otters are carnivores, and will eat a … How often otters eat varies as long as they meet their average daily energy need. Cape clawless and Asian small-clawed otters feed mainly on crabs and other crustaceans, molluscs, and frogs. The activity of otters varies depending on different factors. They often eat sea urchins, mollusks, crabs, some kinds of fish, mussels, chitons, scallops, sea ears and stars. *. The absence of otters in their ecosystems would jeopardize the integrity of the watershed food webs and food chain. They also eat small mammals and birds. Some other common items that … Once at the surface, they often eat by placing the food on their stomachs, and then placing a rock on their stomachs and then smashing the prey on the rock to open it and get at the flesh inside. All Rights Reserved. The main diet of the otter consists of different types of fish: trout, roach, carp, perch, carp, pike, goby, minnow. She serves as the executive director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. Discover facts about Eurasian otters and their presence in urban areas including Sheffield, Birmingham and London. Sea Otters typically eat amphibians, smaller fish, mollusks, mussels, snails, and smaller underwater creatures. They will spend several hours nightly foraging in water. This mammal has also been known to dine on ducks. The sea urchins … The types of them will depend on the season as well as where they happen to live. 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