74 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 68 



usually the last to be immersed as the otter swims leisurely from 

 its resting place (fig. 34). 



When sleeping on land, an otter usually spends a variable time 

 languidly preening its fur before entering the water. Then it may 

 follow the procedure described above to delay wetting the feet, 

 head, and tail. 



Grooming 



Pelage care is of primary importance to survival in the sea 

 otter. Grooming is essential to maintain pelage cleanliness and 

 waterproofness, and thus insulation against the chilly marine 

 habitat. A blanket of air remains trapped among the dry underfur 

 fibers which serves as insulation. A captive female sea otter spent 

 48 percent (about 7.5 hours) of the daylight hours grooming her 

 fur and a wild female, observed for about 71/2 hours, spent 11 

 percent of the time in grooming activity (table 64, Comparison of 

 daily activities of wild and captive female sea otters, see In 

 Captivity) . 



Grooming takes place either in the water or on land. Energetic 

 grooming is done before rest periods and languid grooming (fig. 

 36) at intervals during a resting period and at the end of a rest 

 period. Grooming may be divided into two primary phases, (1) 

 washing the fur and (2) drying the fur. 



Grooming is accomplished primarily by rubbing the fur with 

 the palms of the forepaws, but the hind flippers may be rubbed 

 together or against the fur of the abdomen and sides. The fur of 

 all parts of the body is rubbed by the forepaws. To accomplish 

 this and reach remote parts of the body, the otter may twist and 

 squirm within its loose-fitting skin, so that areas of the mid-back 

 can be reached. The flexible body may be rolled in a ball so that 

 the forepaws reach beyond the root of the tail to the lower back 

 Cfig. 37). Also, loose skin of the sides and belly may be rolled over 

 a foreleg while water is pressed from the pelage and removed 

 with the tongue (fig. 38). 



Water may be pressed from the fur by the palms of the fore- 

 paws (fig. 39). A fold of skin and fur may be pressed between the 

 forepaws, squeezing water from the fur and the moisture removed 

 with the tongue (fig. 40). The fur may be rubbed in a circular 

 motion or by rapid strokes in many directions. The retractile 

 claws (fig. 2) (see Physical Characteristics) are occasionally ex- 

 tended to aid in grooming but usually they remain retracted. 

 Figure 41, illustrates a typical grooming posture. 



