Range 



The former range of the sea otter in America was along the entire 

 Pacific Coast from central Lower California to the tip of the Aleutian 

 chain. After 40 years of complete protection there are now thousands of 

 sea otters scattered among the Aleutian Islands and islands off the Alaska 

 Peninsula. No complete population estimate has ever been made. Otters 

 are spreading slowly imder strict protection to new areas in Alaska from 

 the several well established colonies. Along the Washington and Oregon 

 coasts they are completely gone. Up to 1935 they were believed to be 

 extinct in California, when a group of 94 animals was discovered near 

 Monterey. The California population has been reported as high as 500 

 but many observers believe this figure too high. 



Breeding habits 



Mating is said to take place in the sea and, according to conflicting 

 reports, the single young is born on the floating kelp beds and on rocks 

 near the sea. 



The pupping season is problematical. Newly born young have been 

 observed in early March in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. In late May 

 a female in advanced pregnancy was found in California. In late August 

 very young pups have been observed in California and in the Shumagin 

 Islands of Alaska. Mating activities were observed continuously from 

 mid-April to early September off Californiao A 19th century sea-otter 

 hunter states that there is no particular breeding season and that young 

 of all ages are met with the year arovmd. 



The pup is carried on the mother's chest as she swims backward. 

 When the mother dives for food the pup is left floating on the surface. 

 The mother floats high on her back while the pup nurses from her abdomi- 

 nal nipples. 



Feeding habits 



The sea otter feeds in water from 20 to 150 feet in depth where it 

 dives for abalones, chitons, sea urchins, clams, crabs, and other shell- 

 fish. Fish are also eaten. It is said that a sea otter will bring a rock to 

 the surface which it uses as an anvil on which to break the hard shells of 

 mollusks. 



Sea otters require a large amount of food and digestion is very 

 rapid. 



Sea otter, adult male. 

 Scale line: one inch. 



