THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 97 



Figure 55.— -A — After dragging her pup onto a rock, a mother sea otter 

 preens and dries her fur while she supports the head of her nursing pup 

 with a hind flipper, B — After drying her fur, the mother takes her pup on 

 her chest and while she preens its fur with her forepaws she allows it 

 to nurse from one of her two abdominal nipples. C — After the pup has 

 nursed for 3 to 5 minutes the mother turns it around and fondles and plays 

 with it. D — Mother and pup sleep, their fur dry and fluffy. This pup is 

 probably a month to 6 weeks old. Its natal coat, particularly the long yellow 

 guard hairs have grown considerably since birth. During the approximately 

 30-minute period when this sequence was taken, the mother frequently 

 made soft chuckling or cooing sounds. (KWK 55-20-36, 55-934, 936, and 

 938) 



