The otter that holds hands while it sleeps
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart in the night.
Which one is REALLY true about the Sea Otter?
The short version
Sea otters hold hands while sleeping so they don't drift apart, and wrap up in seaweed to anchor in place. They use rock tools to smash open shellfish on their chest, and have the densest fur of any animal — up to a million hairs per square inch — since they have no blubber.
Why it's so weird
- ✓The Sea Otter holds hands while sleeping so it doesn't drift apart in the night.
- ✓The Sea Otter has the densest fur of any animal on Earth, with up to a million hairs packed into a single square inch.
- ✓The Sea Otter is one of the very few animals that uses tools, smashing clams open against its chest with a favorite rock.
- ✓The Sea Otter wraps itself in seaweed like a seatbelt to stay anchored while it floats.
- ✓The Sea Otter keeps a favorite rock tucked into a pouch of loose skin under its arm.
The Sea Otter is about 1.2× as long as a 7-year-old! 🤯
The full story
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep, so they do not drift apart in the night. Meet one of the most charming animals in the ocean, and one of the very few that uses tools. They often float together in groups called rafts, and sometimes wrap themselves in seaweed like a seatbelt to stay anchored in one place. To eat, an otter will carry a favorite rock tucked into a pouch of loose skin under its arm, then float on its back and smash open clams and shellfish against its chest. And they need to eat a huge amount, because they have no blubber at all to keep warm. Instead they have the densest fur of any animal on Earth, with up to a million hairs packed into a single square inch, trapping a warm layer of air against their skin. A mother even blows air into her pup's fur so it floats like a little cork while she dives down for food. Follow for more weird animal facts.
Sea otters have no blubber, so instead they trap a layer of warm air right against their skin. Their fur is so dense, up to about a million hairs in one square inch, that water cannot push through to reach the skin, and the trapped air acts like an invisible wetsuit. That is why otters groom for hours a day: combing in air bubbles and natural skin oils keeps the coat fluffy and waterproof. They also nap in groups called rafts, holding paws or wrapping in kelp so the current does not carry them apart while they sleep.
📚 Source: Sea otter | Monterey Bay Aquarium ↗Aquarium biologists who care for and study sea otters have measured their fur under microscopes and watched them groom, raft together, and crack shellfish, confirming the dense air-trapping coat and tool use.
📚 Source: The densest fur of any animal on Earth: All about sea otters | Seattle Aquarium ↗Watch the 45-second version
Sea Otter gallery
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“The Sea Otter holds hands while sleeping so it doesn't drift apart in the night.”
“The Sea Otter kills venomous snakes by stomping them with kicks that land in about 15 milliseconds, faster than a snake can bite back.”
“The Sea Otter has the densest fur of any animal on Earth, with up to a million hairs packed into a single square inch.”