94 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1954 



mals that die in the Zoo. If they are not desired for the Museum they 

 are then made available to other institutions or scientific workers. 

 Thus the value of the specimen continues long after it is dead. 



ACCESSIONS 



GIFTS AND DEPOSITS 



The Zoo has been particularly fortunate in having friends who 

 show their sincere interest by bringing in specimens or arranging for 

 acquisitions from foreign countries. 



The Zoo's effort of several years to obtain specimens of sea otters 

 {Enhydra lutris) was finally rewarded by the receipt on June 14, 1954, 

 of three of these animals. They had been captured in the Aleutian 

 Islands, Alaska, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department 

 of the Interior and transported from Alaska to Seattle by the U. S. 

 Navy. They are of considerable interest historically as well as bio- 

 logically, for it was the pursuit of sea otters by the Russians that led 

 to much of the exploration of the Alaskan coast. Through excessive 

 slaughter the animals were brought to the verge of extermination, and 

 for some years it was thought that they might become extinct; but 

 finally they began showing a slight increase in the wild. The Fish and 

 Wildlife Service is now carrying on studies of sea otters to determine 

 what steps should be taken to care properly for the wild ones and 

 whether they can be successfully kept in captivity. In view of the 

 rarity and great value of these animals, the Zoo's specimens were 

 installed in cages that were air-conditioned to provide an environment 

 as nearly like their natural habitat as possible, and they were fed in 

 accordance with the suggestions of the Fish and Wildlife scientists. 

 Unfortunately, however, the otters survived only a few days. 



An outstanding acquisition of the year was a tuatara {Sphenodon 

 punctatitm) from the Government of New Zealand. This reptile, 

 lizardlike in form, but having some characteristics of the turtle, is a 

 primitive type that in its early stages of development possesses four 

 or three eyes, but in the adult form has only two, which are large and 

 brilliant. It has been called a living fossil because it appears to be 

 the least changed of any animal from its ancient ancestors, which lived 

 during the time of the dinosaurs. These animals have become scarce 

 and are now rigidly protected by the Government, and so the specimen 

 sent to the Zoo is a prized accession ; special pains are being taken to 

 provide for it suitable living conditions. As the tuatara normally 

 lives in temperatures that are lower than those favored by lizards, 

 and definitely lower than those prevailing in Washington in summer, 

 it is necessary to cool the bottom portion of its cage in very warm 

 weather. To induce it to eat freely, it has been given a lizard 

 companion. 



