"Enhydra lurtris"
Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus and Species
Fun Facts | Art and Poetry | Works Cited
Kingdom: Animalia:
Characteristics that place it here:
All animals are part of this kingdom
digests food
has organ systems
body is made up of tissue
reproduces sexually
mutlicellular
heteroroph
capable of complex and rapid movements
Phylum: Chordata
Characteristics that place it here:
structure called notochord
bilateral symmetry
muscles
3 germ layers
hollow nerve chord
heart, blood vessels, blood vessels
digestive system
bony or cartilage skeleton
Class: Mammalia
Characteristics that place it here:
have hair
feed new born with mother's milk
has special teeth to cut up food
has a backbone
has highly developed nervous system
can adapt to extreme habitats
shows intelligence and resourcefulness
give birth to live young
completely helpless when born
rely on mothers for food
Order: Carnivora
Characteristics that place it here:
meat eaters
can be recognized by fourth upper premolar and first lower molar
tend to be medium sized animals
good hearing, vision, and smell
muscular jaw
simple stomach
rapid sprinters
Family: Mustelidae
characteristics that place it here:
found on all contents except Antarctica and Australia
well developed glands
tail usually long, ears small and rounded, eyes maybe small
feet have 5 toes or claws
skulls not long
most consume flesh
Genus and Species: Enhydra lutris:
Characteristics that place it here:
swim very fast
diurnal
can be underwater for up to 6 minutes
they sleep on their backs wrapped in kelp so they don't float away
their prey is hard shell creatures like clams, they break the clam open with a rock
Known predators are White Shark, Killer Whale, Sea Lion, Bald Eagle, and Humans.
Lifespan is 23 yrs max in the wild
weighs 30-90 lbs
3-4 ft long
killer whales is thought to be responsible for population declines
Art and Poetry
 |
Sea Otters Sea otters lay on their backs day, eating clams in the sun's warn rays. Sea otters wrap themselves in sea weed, so the don't float away. |
The Animal Diversity Web
"Sea Otter." 2004. University of Michigan, Zoology Department. 11 Feb 2004. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Enhydra_lutris.html>.
Encarta Online Encyclopedia
"Sea Otter." Encarta Encyclopedia. 11 Feb 2004. <http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/SRPage.aspx?search=Sea+Otter&Submit2=Go>.
Lecture
Fiore, Carrie M. "Animal Kingdom." 2004.