Back Orders: Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)

Here is a funny fellow for Joanna. Sea otters, which live in the coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, have the thickest fur of any mammal. That's because unlike other aquatic mammals, sea otters don't have blubber and rely on their fur to insulate them. They spend most of their time on their backs. As Ivan T. Sanderson says, "It has the most engaging habits, not least of which is floating on the surface on its back and using its broad flat chest as a lunch counter on which to lay out its food." They also sleep on their backs, and mother sea otters float on their backs with their babies resting on their chests. At night or when they're resting, sea otters wrap themselves in seaweed so they won't drift away.