Photos

Sea otter pelts were one of the most sought after luxury items after their discovery by Russians and then later the Europeans. Numbers dwindled to the brink of extinction, and their habitat is under threat today. They sleep in kelp beds in a select strip of shoreline on the northwest coast of Canada and the States.

The reason for the popularity of sea otter pelts is the density of hair... up to 600 000 hair follicles per square inch, the highest density of any beast on the planet I believe. This makes for an incredibly soft feel. More importantly to the otter, it forms a watertight barrier when oiled that keeps these lovely critters from freezing in the icy cold waters of the Pacific.

The oil that the otters use to keep themselves warm is stripped by crude spills, and thus they are very sensitive to oil spills.

This fine young specimen lives at the Vancouver Aquarium, and was sunning himself after a meal of clam.