MAMMALS—LUTRINAE—LUTRA CALIFORNICA. 187 
LUTRA CALIFORNICA, Gray. 
California Otter. 
Lutra californica, J. E. Gray, Charlesworth’s Mag. Nat. Hist. 1, 1837, 580. 
Sr.Cu.—Length about four anda half feet. Naked muzzle wider than long; no naked point sent down from its anterior edge. 
Under surfaces of all the feet but little hairy; the naked terminal pads not isolated from the other bare portions by hair, except 
in the central digits of the fore foot. The naked portion of the palm not invaded by hair from the carpal region. 
Color above, liver brown, the long hairs with lighter tips ; not appreciably lighter on the belly. Sides and under surface of 
head and the throat, dirty white. 
In general form, as far as can be ascertained from the tanned skin, the otter collected by Dr. 
Newberry resembles that found in the eastern States. The muzzle is large and runs posteriorly 
into the forehead as an obtuse angle, with the apex slightly rounded ; anteriorly the outline is 
sub semi-circular, and there is no acute naked point sent down along the median line. The width 
of the muzzle slightly exceeds the length. The nostrils are slightly valvular, so as to be capable 
of being closed by the impending projection of the side of the muzzle; they extend posteriorly 
_ opposite the central point of the naked muffle. The whiskers are in numerous rows, and there 
are tufts of similar stiff bristles over and behind the eye, behind the angle of the mouth, and 
under the chin. The ears are very small, pointed, and higher than broad. 
The tail is long, tapering, and depressed. It is about three-fifths as long as head and body 
together. The legs are short, the feet rather large and well palmated. In the hands the web 
extends as far as the bulbs of the fingers. The greater portion of the inferior surface or the 
palm is free from hair ; some is, however, discernible between the outer fingers (first and fifth) 
towards the exterior of the web, especially on that portion between adjoining fingers. The pads 
or balls at the ends of the fingers are all naked, and the entire under surface of the first and 
fifth fingers being bare, the pads of these fingers are connected with the naked palm by a 
continuous naked space, instead of being isolated by hair, as in the three central ones. The 
fourth finger is longest, the third little shorter ; next the fifth ; the second and then the first 
are considerably less. The claws are large and stout, a little shorter than those on the hind 
feet. 
The hind feet are rather larger than the fore, but the proportions of the fingers are almost 
precisely the same. The membrane between the toes is also of nearly equal extent. The 
posterior third of the sole (from heel) is covered with hair, extending forwards into the naked 
portion inan acute angle. The anterior two-thirds is entirely naked, except over that portion 
of the web which extends between the toes. The terminal balls are entirely naked, and are 
connected by a naked isthmus extending under the central line of the toes with the naked sole. 
This isthmus covers most of the under surface of the first and fifth toes, but is narrower in the 
others. There is a stiff fringe of bristly hairs along the exterior of the foot. 
The fur of this animal is of two kinds: one long and scattered, stiff and lustrous ; the other 
very close, soft, dense, and silky, and slightly crimped. The predominant color is a dark 
chestnut, or rather light liver brown, not appreciably paler on the belly. The long hairs are 
decidedly lighter at their tips, assuming more of the chestnut tinge. The sides of the head 
and throat below the level of the eyes and ears, the upper lip, the under parts of the head and 
throat, generally, are of a dirty white, purest on the side of head and edge of upper lip. The 
legs and upper surface of the tail are rather darker than elsewhere. 
