Enhydra

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Enhydra Temporal range: 5–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Pliocene – Recent
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Mustelidae
Subfamily:	Lutrinae
Genus:	Enhydra Fleming, 1828
Species
Enhydra lutris - Sea otter †Enhydra macrodonta †

Enhydra is a genus of mustelid that contains the sea otter and two extinct relatives.

Sea otters probably diverged from other otters during the Pliocene, approximately 5 mya.^[1] They probably arose from the closely related Enhydritherium.

, the oldest known species, has its origins in the Atlantic, suggesting this may have been where sea otters originated.^[1] 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.

References[]

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