FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 281 



gone a long way in adapting itself to a strictly aquatic life. It 

 is interesting to note that, according to reports, the "land otter" 

 of the Aleutian district readily takes to salt water at times ; ap- 

 parently, this also is true of the otter of Great Britain. 



The sea otter spends most of its time in the water. When 

 wishing to sleep, it simply lies on its back and dozes, sometimes 

 with a strand or two of kelp across the body serving as an an- 

 chor, whether intentional or not. When feeding, the animal dives 

 for its food, then lies on its back to eat, using its chest for a 

 table. On specimens from Alaska that were examined, the hair 

 on the chest was somewhat worn, no doubt through this use in 

 feeding. When the little pup wishes to sleep, it curls up on the 

 mother's abdomen, and both mother and offspring lie quiescent 

 on the water. The offspring also climbs aboard the mother to 

 nurse. 



When startled, the mother puts an arm around the little one 

 and dives with it. On some occasions, the mother seemed to pat 

 the little one on the head first, as if by this patting or pushing 

 motion she were warning it of the impending immersion. This 

 was never clearly seen, however, and it needs to be verified. If 

 merely worried or suspicious, the mother seizes the pup with her 

 arm and swims away with it. 



Generally, when startled, the sea otter rises erect in the water 

 for a better view of the intruder before diving. It swims readily 

 on its back, as well as on its belly. In fact, the observer soon 

 gains the impression that the sea otter spends most of its life 

 floating on its back. 



The sea otter does come ashore, however, and there are favorite 

 hauling-out places for certain individuals. One or more mothers 

 may climb out on a kelp-covered rock, with their youngsters, 

 where they squirm about and fondle their little ones and end- 

 lessly dress their fur. Sometimes a pup will wander off to the 

 water, or will be reluctant to climb out on the rock. Then the 

 mother persistently forces him, nudging and pushing, until he 

 complies with her desire to haul out on the rocks. Occasionally, 

 a male will join the group. We also saw lone individuals, ap- 

 parently adult males, curled up on a rock, where they may lie 

 long enough for the fur to dry. Even here, they appear restless, 

 and may raise their heads to look about, yawn, rub their faces 

 with their paws, or otherwise dress their fur. 



It is reported that sea otters go ashore in times of severe 

 storms, but that sometimes they succumb in heavy surf on the 

 reefs. 



