Great white sharks are one of the primary predators of sea otters, but the otters are also eaten by coyotes, bald eagles, and killer whales.
Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are one of the primary predators of sea otters. Otters are occasionally eaten by coyotes (Canis lantrans) after taking refuge on the sand during stormy weather. Young pups left alone on the surface while their mothers feed beneath the surface are preyed upon by bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).
It was once thought that killer whales (Orcinus orca) were responsible for declines in the sea otter population in Alaska, but evidence is inconclusive.
• Image | ©️ Tony’s Takes, Some Rights Reserved(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
• Sources | (Allegra & Gunderson 2012; Estes, 1980; Estes, Tinker, & Doak, 1998; Kuker & Barrett-Lennard, 2010; Limbaugh, 1961; McShane, Estes, Riedman, & Staedler, 1995)
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