CONTENTS VII 



Page 



18. Cross section of pelage near midback, 



adult male sea otter 36 



19. Horizontal section through the sea otter skin showing 



deeper layer 38 



20. The shed pelage of an adult male otter was collected 



from the drain of his pool at 7-day intervals 40 



21. Fresh young adult dentition in the late juvenile or 



early subadult stage of development 44 



22. Dentition of newly born male sea otter 45 



23. Complete juvenile dentition of a female 



age 2 to 3 months 46 



24. Dentition at birth 47 



25. "Old" adult dentition 48 



26. Intermediate juvenile-adult dentition 49 



27. Dental attrition and bone damage in the adult 



sea otter 51 



28. Cross section of right upper canine tooth of an 



adult female sea otter 54 



29. Favored sea otter habitat in the Aleutian Islands 58 



30. Three adult males in typical swimming attitude 61 



31. Duration of 87 timed food dives made by a mated 



pair of otters 65 



32. Because the fifth digits of the hind flippers 



are long, the sea otter walks with a somewhat 



clumsy rolling gait 70 



33. Adult sea otters, startled on a favorite 



hauling-out beach at Amchitka Island 71 



34. Otters usually attempt to find a sheltered 



kelp bed before sleeping 72 



35. A drowsy otter preens its cheeks with its 



forepaws before going to sleep 73 



36. While dozing on the surface of her pool, a captive 



female sea otter languidly grooms the fur of her 



chest and sides 75 



37. The sea otter curls its long flexible body into 



a ball and reaches between the hind flippers to 



groom the tail and lower back 76 



38. Using its left paw, a grooming sea otter pulls the 



loose skin from its right side over the right 

 foreleg in order to press water from the pelage 



and lick away the moisture 77 



39. While grooming, water is squeezed from the fur 



of the foreleg under pressure and by rubbing 



with the palm of the paw 78 



40. While drying its pelage, a fold of skin is pressed 



between the palms of the forepaws 79 



41. A mother otter rubs the top of her head with one 



paw and her elbow with the other 80 



42. Near the end of a grooming period the sea otter 



rests belly down at the surface, bends the head 



to the belly, and vigorously blows air into the fur 81 



