Happy National Sea Otter Awareness Week! What better way to celebrate these slippery sea weasels than by basking in their adorableness and learning some fun facts about our furry friends!

Awww, hugs from mom!

Baby sea otters, like this little pup, depend on their mom to hunt for food for them. They have so much fur, they are too buoyant to stay underwater. Built-in floaties!

“I’ll never let go, Jack.”

Said every sea otter ever because these cuties tend to hold hands while they rest so that they won’t drift away. Learn from their accomplishments, Rose.

Shucks. I forgot to turn off the lights…

Another way to prevent drifting off before sleeping is for sea otters to wrap themselves in kelp.

Yeah, I don’t do sharing.

Since they don’t have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, like other marine animals, adult sea otters must eat 25% or more of their body weight a day to keep warm.

Somebody likes his sea scallops!

Sea otters love cracking open mollusks like these and even use tools to crack them open. If they find something really special, they will store it in a little bag beneath their arm.

Did you just call me a river otter?!

River otters are slimmer and sleeker with a long tail. They easily run on land and swim doggie-style. Sea otters have lighter hair around their head, a fluffy, husky body, swim on their backs, and are very rarely found on land.

You didn’t tell me you were taking a picture, I only have a piece of kelp on!

Otters are crucial in maintaining healthy kelp by eating the predators, like crabs, that prey on slugs that clean the algae from kelp, as well as sea urchins that lay waste to kelp forests and create urchin barrens.

Please tell me someone brought the sea urchins. How can we have a party without sea urchins?

Sea otters are social, and can often be seen in large groups called rafts.

It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

Sea otters are slow swimmers that spend the majority of their lives on their backs. They flip over when they are required to use their front paws or dive underwater for food.

You seem to have misplaced your garbage.

If pollution like this continues to make its way into the ocean, sea otters and other animals can confuse it with food, get tangled up, and injure themselves.

Thanks for celebrating National Sea Otter Awareness Week with us! As a keystone species in many ecosystems, sea otters are a critical part of maintaining our ocean’s ecosystem. But right now, their population is at risk from oil spills, disease, and predation. Without them, the vibrant marine life they make possible is at risk, too. Your support can make a difference!

Make a difference for sea otters, the ocean they call home, and the ecosystem we all depend on by making a donation today.