sea otter, Enhydra lutris, #21660

A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs. Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA, Enhydra lutris, natural history stock photograph, photo id 21660
A sea otter eats a clam that it has taken from the shallow sandy bottom of Elkhorn Slough. Because sea otters have such a high metabolic rate, they eat up to 30% of their body weight each day in the form of clams, mussels, urchins, crabs and abalone. Sea otters are the only known tool-using marine mammal, using a stone or old shell to open the shells of their prey as they float on their backs. Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California, USA

Species: Sea otter, Enhydra lutris
Location: Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing, California
Image ID: 21660
Format: Digital 3:2
Keywords: animal, animalia, california, california sea otter, caniformia, carnivora, chordata, creature, elkhorn slough, elkhorn slough national estuarine research reserve, enhydra, enhydra lutris, lutrinae, lutris, mammal, mammalia, marine mammal, monterey bay national marine sanctuary, moss landing, mustelid, mustelidae, national marine sanctuaries, nature, otter, sea otter, usa, vertebrata, vertebrate, wildlife
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