> >
> > Virtually all "sea otters" in Puget Sound are river otters.
> >
> Several years ago (1985?) at Fort Ebey on Whidbey Island my step-daughter
> saw an otter at dusk lying on its back cracking open sea urchins (or
> something; it was dusk). I always thought of this as classic sea otter
> behavior; do river otters do this too? Although i know that sea otters
> are not supposed to come into Puget Sound, i thought they might have come
> in the Strait as far as Fort Ebey.

This shellfish cracking on the back is restricted to Sea Otters as far as I
know. Never saw the River Otters do it when I was on the Queen Charlottes.
As for what River Otters eat, anything they can grab is likely the best
description. Note that they are essentially the only natural enemy of
beavers, a hefty rodent if there ever was one.

- Jack


Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca