Sea Otter
The sea otters are the best-groomed animals at Shedd—and in the ocean. It’s a matter of survival. Instead of blubber to keep them warm in the cold Pacific Ocean, these marine mammals have the densest fur of any animal—up to 1 million hairs per square inch. They groom their long outer guard hairs to keep water out and fluff the undercoat to hold warm air next to their skin. And to generate body heat, they eat 25 percent of their body weight daily!
Finding a secure home at Shedd
Rescued otters like Ellie are strong reminders of the threats sea otters face in the wild. Ellie was found abandoned on a Carmel, California, beach at just 4 weeks old. Sea otter experts at Monterey Bay Aquarium rehabilitated her until she found a permanent home at Shedd. Our experts have offered rescue and rehabilitation care for sea otters since the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989. In addition to Ellie, Shedd's current sea otter group also includes rescues Kiana, Luna, Cooper and Watson.
“One of my favorite memories of working with the sea otters is going outside after a heavy snow and bringing it inside to put all over their habitat. They rolled around in it and ate it for hours!”
Duke Stacey, animal care specialist
Rescued, Rehabilitated, Released, Rehomed: Stories of the Animal Response Team
For more than 50 years, Shedd Aquarium has devoted people and resources to helping animals in urgent need.
5 Reasons to Raise Your Awareness about Sea Otters
Sea otters face increasing threats from climate change, and they’re only an oil spill away from widescale disaster. As goes the health of this smal...
Two Rescued Sea Otter Pups Find a Home at Shedd
Two orphaned southern sea otter pups that were rescued by Monterey Bay Aquarium bounded into Shedd’s sea otter nursery pool—and their caregivers’ h...
Meet the sea otters
Glistening dark bodies roll in the water. Light-furred faces pop to the surface, then dive back in. For someone without a trainer’s eye, Shedd Aquarium’s sea otters look an awful lot alike. And they seldom stay still long enough for you to try to discern differences. To help you figure out who's who, here are each otter’s key characteristics.
Luna
Yaku
Ellie
Kiana
Cooper
Watson