Sea otter females with pups in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Original provider:
Sylvia K. Osterrieder, Randall W. Davis

Dataset credits:
Sylvia K. Osterrieder, Randall W. Davis

Abstract:
In altricial mammals, the mother’s care and attendance are essential for the young to acquire survival skills. Not much is known about mother-pup behavior in the sea otter population of Simpson Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States. In these studies, firstly, water depth and location of feeding females with pups of different ages were recorded (global positioning system [GPS] locations of the sea otters are given in the map). Secondly, boat locations were noted when females with pups were observed for 24 hour activity budgets (GPS locations of the boat are given in the map). Weather, time and tidal conditions were also recorded and tested on the influence on sea otters behavior.