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Common name: California sea otter Scientific name: Enhydra lutris nereis Size: Males: 122 cm (4 feet) long; females: 120 cm (3.9 feet) long Weight: Males: 29 kg (64 pounds); females: 20 kg (44 pounds) Diet: Sea otters prey on more than 50 kinds of invertebrates including sea urchins, crabs, sea stars, abalone, clams, mussels, octopus and fishes. Range: Sea otters inhabit some of the coastal regions in the eastern North Pacific. California sea otters are found off the coast of central California from Half Moon Bay to Point Conception. Habitat: In or near kelp beds, rarely come onshore. Status: Sea otter populations face many threats, including oil spills, entanglement in fishing nets, poor water quality, parasites and disease. National and international laws protect sea otters, and the species is listed as endangered by the IUCN/World Conservation Union. The California subspecies is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Fun Facts: Sea otters are one of the few species that use tools. Holding a flat rock on its chest, an otter pounds crustaceans and mollusks on the rock to break open their shells. An otter also can knock an abalone off a rock using a rock as a tool. What the Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks are doing: The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund awarded a grant to Defenders of Wildlife for its “Sea Otter and Coastal Water Quality Protection Program.” Through public education, outreach and community partnerships, the project aims to increase the declining sea otter population of California’s central coast by promoting better water quality in near-shore waters. Last fall, SeaWorld San Diego celebrated Sea Otter Awareness Week to educate park guests about sea otters and the threats they face in the wild.