Sea otters are classed as threatened and are being deeply affected by oil spills, habitat loss, disease, commercial fishing net entanglements and competing with shellfish fisheries. They are the only mammals other than primates (i.e. chimpanzees) known to use tools like small rocks, which help them hammer open or pick off food from rocks. They can dive up to 330 feet deep when searching for food. Sea otters often rest in coastal kelp forests, anchoring their bodies with strands of kelp, which stops them drifting loose. If an otter's fur gets covered with oil or any unnatural substance it is vulnerable to cold and exposure and will often die.

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