Imagine falling asleep only to wake up miles from the cosiness of your bed. This isn’t just some weird dream for a sea otter—it’s a problem in their lives! These cute marine mammals spend most of their life in the water and even catch their Z’s while bobbing on the waves. Nature has blessed them with an extraordinary solution to this problem. Sea otters sleep holding hands so they do not float away from one another within the swirling seas. The act is cute and endearing, melting many human hearts worldwide. Due to such habits, these furry swimmers win the general tag for love and togetherness.
These clever creatures often hold paws while sleeping with their mates or group members. Keeping each other prevents drifting away from their furry friend group, which sea otter experts call a “raft.”
While the frequency of sea otters holding hands might not be as high as we think, this behavior is still extraordinary. Sea otters are really social animals, each with its own personality. Some otters just love a good paw-hold, while others prefer to stay close in other ways. They have been known to keep an eye or ear out for their mates or just cuddle up close enough to feel each other’s furry bodies nearby.
Life as an otter is not all nap time, though. These busy little swimmers spend loads of time keeping themselves clean. They roll and twirl in the water, scrubbing away any bits of food or muck stuck in their fur. It appears they are having a good time, but with all this cleaning, they mean business. They have fur that traps tiny air bubbles, thus providing a cosying layer of insulation between the skin and cold water. If their fur gets dirty, they could have an icy swim!
Now, at this point, you would be wondering, “I have seen otters in rivers also!” You are right, but those were river otters—smaller cousins of sea otters. Sea otters from Washington state to Alaska are proper ocean dwellers, lounging around the coasts. They’re bigger than river otters and have cute, stumpy tails instead of long, pointy ones. In addition, sea otters float on their backs, while river otters swim on their bellies like most other animals.
Photos of sea otters holding hands remind us that some of nature’s most extraordinary things are often the sweetest. A little paw-to-paw contact can sometimes make even the roughest waters feel homey.
