I love seeing another creature enjoying their food. Even better when it’s an adorable sea otter.

These unlikely gourmands enjoy eating abalone, mussel, crab, clams, sea urchins, prawns, squid, snails and sometimes fish. They eat 30% of their body weight so that they can keep warm. A sea otter can eat 5 to 10kg of fresh seafood daily and there is often conflict between local fishermen and sea otters. Sea otters prefer large items of food over small and have been known to completely ignore small clams if larger species are available. Since large crabs, large abalone and large sea urchins fetch higher prices than small ones, fishermen are usually chasing the same catch.

Sea otters spend most of their life floating on their backs and are one of the few animals to use tools. They put a rock on their belly smash shells against it to get to the meat inside. They dive for food and bring it all up to the surface by carrying extra stuff in their armpits. Yes! Even spiky sea urchins. If that’s not commitment to fine foods, I don’t know what is. They will also carry any necessary tools in their armpits like rock to pry off mollusks. Someone give these guys a handbag!

This post is a tribute to sea otters and to their excellent taste in kai moana.

Sea otter eating crab. Photo by Jon Cornforth.

Another sea otter chowing down on fresh crab.

Sea otters break open clams using rocks and then devour the contents.

This sea otter has removed the meat from the shell and is reserving the shell on it’s makeshift table. Photography by Steven Holt and Brenda Moseley.

Sea otter eating a sea urchin (kina) by Matt Knoth

Here is a link to a sea otter eating a sea urchin. I can’t help but think it looks painful.