Enhydra

Not to be confused with Enhydris, a genus of snakes.

Enhydra
Temporal range: 5–0 Ma
↓
Pliocene – Recent
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Lutrinae
Genus: Enhydra
Fleming, 1828
Species

Enhydra lutris - Sea otter
†Enhydra macrodonta
†Enhydra reevei

Enhydra is a genus of mustelid that contains the sea otter and two extinct relatives. It is the only extant genus of the bunodont otters group, referring to otters with non-blade carnassials with rounded cusps.[1]

Sea otters probably diverged from other otters during the Pliocene, approximately 5 mya.[2] They probably arose from the closely related Enhydritherium, a bunodont otter endemic to North America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene epochs.[1]

Enhydra reevei, the oldest known species, has its origins in the Atlantic, suggesting this may have been where sea otters originated.[2] Fossil evidence indicates the Enhydra lineage became isolated in the North Pacific approximately 2 million years ago, giving rise to the now-extinct Enhydra macrodonta and the modern sea otter.

  1. ^ a b "Enhydritherium terraenovae". Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Davis, Randall W. (2019). Marine Mammals: Adaptations for an Aquatic Life. Springer International Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 9783319982809.