What do sea otters eat?
Sea otters eat many kinds of invertebrates, including clams, snails, sea stars, sea urchins, crabs, squid, octopuses and abalone. Alaskan sea otters also eat fish, but California otters seem to prefer invertebrates. Aquarium researchers have discovered that each otter has its favorite foods—wild otters often hunt for only two to four of the more than 40 food animals on their menu. Mothers teach their pups to forage, and pups learn to hunt the same prey as their mothers. Some scientists think this may let more otters share the same habitat, because different otter families are hunting different types of prey.
