علوم قرآن و حدیث

آموزش درک مطلب آزمون MSRT

Sea otters dwell in the North Pacific. They are the largest of the mustelids, a group that also includes freshwater otters, weasels, and badgers. They are from 4 to 5 feet long and most weigh from 60 to 85 pounds. Large males may weigh 100 pounds or more. Unlike most marine mammals, such as seals or dolphins, sea otters lack a layer of blubber, and therefore have to eat up to 30 percent of their body weight a day in clams, crabs,
fish, octopus, squids, and other delicacies to maintain body heat. Their voracious appetites do not create food shortages, however, because they are picky eaters, each animal preferring only a few food types. Thus no single type of food source is exhausted. Sea otters play an important
environmental role by protecting forests of seaweed called kelp, which provide shelter and nutrients to many species. Certain sea otters feast on invertebrates, like sea urchins and abalones, that destroy kelp.
Sea otters eat and sleep while floating on their backs, often on masses of kelp. They seldom come on shore. Sea otters keep warm by means of their luxuriant double-layered fur, the densest among animals. The soft outer fur forms a protective cover that keeps the fine underfur dry. One square inch of underfur contains up to one million hairs. Unfortunately, this essential
feature almost led to their extinction, as commercial hunters drastically reduced their numbers. Under government protection, the sea otter population has recovered. However, occasionally unfortunate events have damaged the sea otter population. For example, in 1989, up to 5,000 sea otters perished when the Exxon Valdez spilled oil in Prince William Sound,
Alaska.

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