THE SEA OTTER IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 131 



Unusual Food Items 



BIRDS 



On 27 March 1962, at Amchitka Island, I watched an adult 

 female sea otter through a 50-power telescope while she con- 

 sumed what appeared to be a shearwater (Puffinus) or Fulmar 

 (Fulmarus). When first seen she was carrying the carcass on her 

 chest. She stopped in the shelter of an islet to groom, leaving the 

 bird floating beside her. After about 5 minutes of grooming she 

 picked up the bird and tore flesh from the breast. She alternately- 

 groomed and ate for about 30 minutes. While she ate, the bird's 

 intestines streamed out across her chest and feathers littered the 

 water around her. After apparently satisfying her appetite she 

 swam away carrying the carcass, bloody sternum erect, on her 

 chest. 



On 13 November 1957, I found sea otter feces at East Cape, 

 Amchitka Island, which consisted of feathers, skin, fat, and flesh 

 (breast muscle) of what appeared to be a cormorant (Phalacro- 

 corax pelagicus). The chunks which were torn from the bird 

 showed little indication of having been affected by passage through 

 the digestive tract. 



Hungry captive otters consumed Emperor Goose (Philacte 

 canagica) flesh (Kirkpatrick et al., 1955) but Jones told me that 

 the meat passed undigested through the alimentary tract. 



It appears that the flesh of birds is eaten only under the stress 

 of hunger, particularly in winter. Also, the sea otter, adjusted 

 to a diet of fish and invertebrates, seems unable to derive nourish- 

 ment from the flesh of birds. 



MISCELLANEOUS 



On several occasions sea otters were seen to eat unusual food 

 items that zoo visitors threw into their pool. These included a slice 

 of white bread, a marshmallow, and peanuts. The animals ap- 

 peared to suffer no ill effects from ingesting these items but the 

 keeper reported that the peanuts passed through the animal un- 

 digested. 



Conclusions 



It is evident that fecal examinations give less adequate infor- 

 mation about sea otter food habits than similar studies for other 

 species. Certain food species (clams and certain fishes) may not 



