Inhabiting the waters off of southern Alaska, the Northern Sea Otter's chief food items include (depcited on left) Northern Abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) and (depicted on right) Red Sea Urchin (Mesocentrotus franciscanus), the latter being a menace to the kelp beds that the sea otters inhabit. The Sea Otter has very dense fur (with several hairs growing from each follicle), a superb adaptation to the chilling climes of the northern Pacific.