of the Anatomy of the Sea Otter. 387 
The whiskers are in great number, they are white and 
strong, they arise from the upper lip on each side of the 
nose. There are a few weak long hairs on the eyebrows. 
In the upper jaw there are six conical incisor teeth, regu- 
larly placed ; of these the middle ones are the smallest. Two 
strong conical fangs, ^ths of an inch long, measuring from the 
edge of the gums ; on each side there are two small obtuse 
pointed teeth, of which that next the fang is much the smallest ; 
and two broad molares with very irregular grinding surfaces. 
In the lower jaw there are four incisores, flatter than those in 
the upper ; two fangs, shorter than the upper ones ; and on each 
side two small teeth and three molares, similar in appearance 
to those in the upper jaw. 
The fore legs are short and strong, with palmated feet ; 
each foot has five toes. They are covered with a thick black 
fur, which has a fringe of the same colour round the edge of 
the sole of the foot, where the fur terminates. 
The hind legs, when stretched backwards, reach nearly to 
the end of the tail, and are well adapted for swimming, having 
five long wide-spreading palmated toes with claws, of which 
the innermost is the shortest ; they measure across eight inches, 
and are completely covered with fur, except a small spot un- 
der the extremity of each toe. The claws are of a light co- 
lour, and channelled on the under surface ; those on the fore 
feet are small, and placed so far back that they seem of little 
use but as a defence for the upper part of the toe ; those on 
the hind feet are stronger, and project beyond the toes. 
The tail is flat, and tapers to a sharp point ; it is covered 
with a thicker short fur than any other part of the animal. 
