Sea Otters Grasp Each Other’s Paws While Snoozing to Avoid Floating Away
Sea otters are arguably among the most charming beings you can find. Just gaze at their adorable faces and small fluffy forms! Additionally, they exhibit a unique behavior that has enchanted people globally. These cuddly animals have been seen grasping each other’s paws and snuggling to avoid drifting apart while they snooze. This is not just heartwarming; it’s also part of a smart survival strategy.
Staying united and holding their (aquatic) position is essential for sea otters. These animals spend the majority of their time in water—from foraging and feasting to parenting. When not clinging to one another, they also secure their young ones with seaweed or entangle themselves in kelp forests. This practice also helps them stay warm since, unlike many other marine animals, they lack a layer of blubber to combat the chill.
Grasping paws is just a single way that sea otters maintain proximity to their social group, which is termed a raft. These rafts can include hundreds of individual otters, with some perhaps grabbing a paw or clinging to a belly, or simply swimming nearby to keep close. This method of connecting aids in their protection from predators and saves energy—which would otherwise be expended in an attempt to stay warm, as they can consume up to 25% of their body weight daily to sustain their body temperature. Rafts are often divided by gender, with all the pups remaining with the females in a sort of floating nursery.
Although this behavior has been observed both in captivity and the wild, providing us with some of the most beloved animal videos ever, some researchers claim that otters holding paws is quite a rare occurrence. Gena Bentall, director and senior scientist of Sea Otter Savvy, notes that among specialists from the west coast who have witnessed it happen in the wild, most have only seen it once or twice.
The most iconic images of this behavior can be traced back to the otters residing at the Vancouver Aquarium. Initially from a 2007 photo of otters Milo and Tanu video that went viral, and once more in 2011 when Milo took a break from treatment by holding his friend’s paw in a touching moment.
This has also motivated zoos to establish special habitats to enable visitors to hold hands with an otter. Meanwhile, PBS captured some footage of mother and cub otters snuggling and swimming off the coast of California. Even though it’s infrequent, it is undeniably touching. It hopefully provides a heartwarming view of the creatures that inhabit the ocean and serves as a sobering reminder of what’s on the line if we neglect to protect it.