A sea otter floats on its back among strands of kelp, front paws resting on its chest. The line work is calm and evenly spaced rather than fussy, which makes it a comfortable page for a long, unhurried session with colored pencils. Free to download and print — no registration, and any medium you like.
🗣 Conversation Starters — for care activities and family time
Have you ever seen film of sea otters sleeping in a “raft”, holding paws so they don’t drift apart?
Have you watched a sea otter at an aquarium? What did you make of it?
What do you think of the way they crack shellfish open on their own chest?
Did you know a sea otter’s coat is the densest fur of any animal?
Why do sea otters wrap themselves in kelp to sleep?
To keep from drifting out to sea. Sea otters sleep afloat, so winding a frond of kelp around the body anchors them against the current. They also rest together in groups known as rafts; the paw-holding everyone remembers is seen most often between a mother and her pup, and in aquariums.
Why do sea otters use stones?
As a tool. An otter balances a flat stone on its chest and hammers a clam or sea urchin against it until the shell gives way — one of the clearest examples of tool use outside the primates. Many otters keep a favourite stone with them, tucked into a loose pouch of skin under the foreleg.
Is it true their fur is unusually dense?
Yes. Counts are usually quoted at around 100,000 hairs per square centimetre — denser than any other mammal — though the figure varies a good deal from one part of the body to another. Sea otters carry almost no blubber, so that coat is the only thing keeping them warm and dry, which is also why they were hunted close to extinction for the fur trade. Populations are still recovering.
