THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 



5 



from Vancouver Island to the end of the Aleutian Islands chain, 

 and a southern race, E. I. nereis Merriam, ranging from the Strait 

 of Juan de Fuca southward, formerly into Baja California, Mexico. 

 The southern race was described on the basis of one skull. 

 Barabash-Nikiforov (1947) reviewed available data and says "we 

 are justified in drawing conclusions on the sea otter based on the 

 slight amount of material we succeeded in collecting." He recog- 

 nized three races: E. I. lutris Linn., ''the Commander- Aleutian 

 North American sea otter" ; E. I. gracilis Bechstein, "The Kuril- 

 Kamchatka sea otter" ; and E. I. nereis Merriam, "southern Cali- 

 fornia sea otter." 



After superficial examination of several hundred sea otters 

 taken at Amchitka Island (as mentioned elsewhere), and after 

 observing the variation in color and body size among animals of 

 this local population, I agree with Scheffer and Wilke (1950). 

 They studied specimens from California and the Aleutian Islands 

 and reviewed the basis for establishing a racial division. They 

 concluded that "Neither on the basis of demonstrable variation 

 nor on the grounds of geographical isolation is there support for 

 a southern subspecies of the sea otter." 



A careful study of specimens from the several geographical 

 areas occupied by sea otters is now required before any racial 

 differences in these populations can be recognized. Because of the 

 variation among animals I have seen, the meager specimen ma- 

 terial used to date in defining races, and the similarity of habitats 

 occupied by the sea otter throughout its geographic range, it is 

 not possible, without further study, to distinguish racially distinct 

 populations which might exist. 



