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Sea Otter Quiz: 12 Questions About Nature's Toolmakers
Sea otters float on their backs, crack shellfish with rocks and wrap themselves in kelp to sleep. Behind the cute image is a keystone species that keeps whole ecosystems healthy. This sea otter quiz has 12 questions with answers.
Sea otters appeared on the Bing homepage for Sea Otter Awareness Week, so it is a great warm-up if you play the Bing Homepage Quiz.
Play the Sea Otter Quiz
Pick A, B or C for each question. The right answer turns green and a short fact explains it.
Sea Otter Quiz Questions and Answers
Every question with its answer and explanation. Open “Show answer” after you guess.
1 How do sea otters stay warm in cold water?
- A Warm-blooded flippers
- B Extremely dense fur
- C A thick layer of blubber
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. Extremely dense fur
Did you know? Sea otter fur is the densest of any animal, up to around a million hairs per square inch.
2 What do sea otters use to crack open shellfish?
- A Rocks
- B Pieces of driftwood
- C Their teeth only
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✓ Answer: A. Rocks
Did you know? They often balance a rock on their chest and smash shells against it.
3 Why are sea otters called a keystone species?
- A They pollinate sea grass
- B They control sea urchins that eat kelp
- C They build dams
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. They control sea urchins that eat kelp
Did you know? By eating urchins, otters protect kelp forests that shelter many other species.
4 Which California bay is famous for easy sea otter viewing?
- A Humboldt Bay
- B Monterey Bay
- C San Diego Bay
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. Monterey Bay
Did you know? Monterey Bay's kelp beds and sheltered harbor let people watch otters close to shore.
5 Why do sea otters wrap themselves in kelp?
- A To hide from sharks
- B To avoid drifting while they sleep
- C To clean their fur
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✓ Answer: B. To avoid drifting while they sleep
Did you know? Kelp works like an anchor, keeping a resting otter in place.
6 What nearly wiped out sea otters in the 1700s and 1800s?
- A Disease
- B Oil spills
- C The fur trade
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✓ Answer: C. The fur trade
Did you know? Hunters took hundreds of thousands of pelts; only small groups survived.
7 Roughly how much food does a sea otter eat per day?
- A About 5% of its body weight
- B About 25% of its body weight
- C About 60% of its body weight
Show answer
✓ Answer: B. About 25% of its body weight
Did you know? A very fast metabolism keeps them warm but means constant eating.
8 Where do sea otters often store a favorite rock?
- A On the seabed
- B In a pouch of loose skin under the forearm
- C In their cheeks
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✓ Answer: B. In a pouch of loose skin under the forearm
Did you know? The pouch holds both food and tools while they dive.
9 A group of sea otters resting together on the water is called what?
- A A pod
- B A colony
- C A raft
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✓ Answer: C. A raft
Did you know? Rafts can range from a few otters to large groups, often split by sex.
10 To which animal family do sea otters belong?
- A Beaver family
- B Weasel family
- C Seal family
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✓ Answer: B. Weasel family
Did you know? Sea otters are mustelids, related to weasels, badgers and river otters.
11 Which ocean do sea otters live in?
- A North Pacific Ocean
- B Indian Ocean
- C Atlantic Ocean
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. North Pacific Ocean
Did you know? Their range stretches from Japan and Russia across Alaska to California.
12 How does a sea otter spend most of its time on the water?
- A Floating on its back
- B Resting on sandbars
- C Swimming upright
Show answer
✓ Answer: A. Floating on its back
Did you know? Floating on their backs lets them eat, groom and nurse pups on their chests.
Why sea otters matter
Sea otters eat sea urchins, and sea urchins eat kelp. Where otters disappear, urchin numbers explode and can strip kelp forests into bare “urchin barrens”. Where otters return, the kelp and the fish that shelter in it often recover. That outsized effect is why scientists call the sea otter a keystone species.
Unlike whales or seals, sea otters have no blubber. They stay warm thanks to the densest fur of any animal, which traps a layer of air against the skin, and a very fast metabolism that requires them to eat around a quarter of their body weight each day.
Sea otters in Monterey Bay
The southern sea otter was hunted almost to extinction for its fur in the 18th and 19th centuries. A small group survived near Big Sur, and California's population slowly recovered. Monterey Bay is now one of the best places to watch them grooming and feeding close to shore, the setting of the September 21, 2026 Bing Homepage Quiz.
Sea Otter Quiz FAQ
Why do sea otters hold hands?
Sea otters sometimes hold paws or wrap themselves in kelp while they sleep so they do not drift apart.
Do sea otters use tools?
Yes. They use rocks as hammers or anvils to crack open shellfish and sea urchins, and often keep a favorite rock in a skin pouch under their forearm.
How do sea otters stay warm without blubber?
Their extremely dense fur traps air to insulate them, and a high metabolism generates body heat.