Sea Otter LOVES Ice and Goes VIRAL!

#otters #seaotters #kpassionate
Sea otters LOVE ice. Otters love ice so much that they sometimes refuse to share. And if you love sea otters, then chances are you have seen my viral videos of sea otters crunching and hoarding ice cubes. One even beat out Noodle the Pug and Ed Sheeran for the TOP video to make you smile in 2021!

Not only do these videos have over 60 million views, they also have millions of comments and questions. Questions like: Why do sea otters love ice cubes? Does eating ice hurt the otter's teeth? What is REALLY going on? Why do we give ice to the sea otters? How strong are sea otters' teeth? Do sea otters get cold?

Well, I not only filmed these sea otter videos, but I'm a marine biologist who has worked with sea otters for over a decade. So here, I'll answer the most frequently asked questions about sea otters.

While crunching on ice might look painful to us humans, ice is actually really good for a sea otter’s teeth. In the wild, sea otters will often use their teeth to crack into the hard shells of clams, mussels, and abalone. The abrasive shells will act like a toothbrush and scrape away plaque. Sea otter’s teeth are significantly more robust than human teeth so they can withstand the force necessary to break into the seashell. The molar’s of a sea otter have 6 roots instead of just two so they are specially designed for crunching.

However, it’s difficult to give oysters on the half-shell to marine mammals under human care. The seafood has to be carefully inspected for quality and freshness. In fact, their food is required to meet FDA standards for high end restaurants! But these sea otters still occasionally need something hard to chew on, not only to keep their teeth clean, but to satisfy an otter’s natural desire to crunch something.

Kunik is a rescued sea otter who was found by the U.S. Coast Guard on Homer Spit, Alaska. She was only days old and it was determined she was tragically separated from her mother and unable to survive on her own. She was rescued and taken to the Alaskan SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska where she was named Kunik, which is the word in Inuktitut for a traditional Inuit greeting, or “kiss.”

Typically, juvenile sea otters stay with their mothers for 6 to 7 months where they learn important skills such as foraging and grooming. Since Kunik never learned these skills, she was deemed non-releasable by marine biologists at the NOAA after they determined she was unlikely to survive in the wild.

The good news is this ice loving sea otter has thrived under human care. Kunik going viral on YouTube has inspired millions to care about ocean conservation and the survival of her species.

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Music By
Cody Martin
Licensed from Soundstripe

Additional Imagery
Pat - stock.adobe.com
PDScott - stock.adobe.com
Roberto - stock.adobe.com
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hdnaturefootage/Pond5 - stock.adobe.com
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