Sea otters are known around the world for their luxurious fur, but this trait has led to their near extinction. Now these animals have faced a new problem. Scientists have determined that the human factor can negatively affect their ability to swim.
Oku.AzPHYS.org reported on this.
The fur of the sea otter is said to play an important role in swimming. However, crude oil spills in the seas have a negative effect on the fur, or rather on the buoyancy of the fur. This puts the pups in particular at incredibly high risk.
Scientists have calculated the effect of fur buoyancy on the pups’ entire bodies. It has been found that the pups’ fur floats almost three times better relative to their body mass than that of adults. This allows the pups to remain on the surface while the mother hunts.
The team then applied crude oil to the skin samples. The results showed that buoyancy was reduced by almost 55%, making it much harder for the animals to stay afloat.
Furthermore, the results show that the quality of the skins is not fully restored even after cleaning.
The authors of the study believe that this situation will lead to the complete extinction of the species in the wild.
