Southern Sea Otter
(California sea otter, Enhydra lutris nereis)

The sea otter is classified as:

• Mammalia (class)
  
  
• Carnivora (order)
  
  
• Mustelidae (family)
  
  
• Enhydra (genus)
  
  
• lutris (species)
  
  
• nereis (southern sea otter subspecies)
  

There are 13 varieties of otters with the North American river otter (Lutra canadensis) and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) being the most common and recognizable freshwater species. The sea otter is the most well known marine otter of the North Pacific. The Eurasian Otter sometimes ventures into the coastal Atlantic, and the Sea Cat is found along the coast of Peru and Chile.

Today, due to geographic variation and isolation, the sea otter is divided into three subspecies. The southern sea otter, Enhydra lutris nereis, is also known as the California sea otter.

Scientists estimate that historically the southern sea otter population along the (present day) California coast numbered between 13-20,000.

By 1830 sea otters were very rare in California. It's believed that the present day population is from a stock of between 10 and thirty animals.

In 1938 a group of otters were "discovered" at Bixby Creek on California's rugged Big Sur Coast. Since that time the population growth and range of the population has been closely monitored.