Sea Otter Eating a Clam, Elkhorn Slough, California
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) spend much of their time eating, as adult sea otters weigh 40-60 pounds and must eat up to one-quarter of their body weight every day. Favorite foods of sea otters include clams, abalone, mussels, crabs, sea urchins, and inkeeper worms. This sea otter eating a clam was photographed from a kayak in the Elkhorn Slough, which is a saltwater estuary that is 7 miles long. Back from the brink of extinction, there are now approximately 2,800 sea otters off the coast of California. Sea otters are listed as threatened on the Endangered Species List.