THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 



21 



Figure 13 — At birth the claws are white and curved. Soon after birth the 

 young otter attempts to groom its fur, and the soft tips are lost. (KWK 

 62-16-21) 



found dead on beaches (table 4) and those which died in captivity 

 (tables 5 and 6) are compared and the differences are discussed 

 below. 



Scheffer (1951) published information on the body size of three 

 adult sea otter specimens which he measured. The present data 

 confirm that the maximum length of the adult male sea otter is 

 about 148 cm. (58.25 in.), that the adult female is 140 cm. (55 in.). 

 The adult male may reach a maximum weight of about 100 lb. (45 

 kg.) and the adult female may reach a weight of at least 72 lb. 

 (32.6 kg.). 



It is indicated in other sections (see Food and Feeding Behavior, 

 Mortality Factors, and Distribution and Numbers) that at Am- 

 chitka Island a dense sea otter population has depleted food 

 resources. Additional evidence for this is revealed by comparing 

 the body weights of Amchitka sea otters (table 2) with animals 

 from a sparse population (table 3). 



