Using his hind webbed feet and undulating his body, this strong and swift swimmer propels himself along. The sea otter dives deeply and catches his prey with his small, clawed forefeet. Bringing all but the smallest catch to the surface to eat, the otter floats on his back to enjoy his meal. Occasionally, it will roll in the water to wash away shells and food waste.
When digging for clams, the otter may make several dives until it dislodges the burrowing creature. The sea otter is one of the few animals that use a tool. He will then bring up a flat stone to lay on his chest then swimming on his back he'll smash the shell of the clam and get at the soft insides.
Active mostly during the day, you may find the sea otter sleeping at night in a kelp (seaweed) bed, under a strand of kelp to keep from drifting.
The sea otters' crowing glory is his luxurious pelt whose underfur is almost an inch thick of dense soft fur. It has a rich pelt of thick dark brown - sometimes almost black- fur with white hairs blended into the dark fur. Relentless hunting of the animal for this valuable fur, led to its near extinction; however, it is now protected by international agreement.
The large, blunt head rests on a short thick neck. The legs and tail are short. The hindfeet are webbed and flattened like a broad flipper, while the forefeet have small retractable claws. His eyes are small and beady with a paler throat, chest and head. Its face has white whiskers.
These placid, sociable creatures rarely travel far from their favorite feeding, resting and sleeping quarters. Their vocalization includes a wide range of noises from a squeal, hiss, snarl, and a grunt. They also possess a keen sense of smell but poor eyesight.
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