California Sea Otter T-Shirts

The waters off of the Central California shoreline can get very chilly. Temperatures in the water stay at about 50-degrees F. It is very uncomfortable, and even dangerous, for a person to stay in this water for any length of time. In order for divers or surfers to spend time in this water, a wet suit is mandatory.

The warm-blooded sea otters, however, lives in the water. A thick coat of fur protects them to the point where their bodies underneath stay dry. The heavy fur also acts as a flotation device to keep them aloft.

Sea otters need this heavy coat because, unlike other marine animals, they don't have a layer of blubber to protect them from the elements.

Zazzle is a large online gift shop that has capitalized on the sea otter frenzy. It sells a line of custom-made sea otter t-shirts that are usually available nowhere else. Its products can be customized with different colored backgrounds. The t-shirts are available in different sizes as well, and in men and women's styles.

The one shown to the right is in the classic sea otter position of doing the backstroke. He also appears to be yawning. The California sea otters come in a variety of colors, which helps workers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium tell them apart.

The shirt shown below is made from 100 percent organic cotton. It is designed to raise awareness of the plight of the California sea otter, now considered an endangered species. Numerous sea otters once swam in the Pacific. However, it's now believed the population is no more than 28,000 in the wild. This species almost became extinct in the early 1900's, when it shrank to only about 1,500.

Zazzle sells a wide range of sea otter t-shirts, undoubtedly because this animal has become so popular. Here are two more, shown below, which make a passionate plea to help protect the natural habitat of these marine creatures, so they can reestablish themselves in the Pacific. The blue shirt shown on the right is made for children.