the.com/sea otter
The only mammal that shops for rocks to open its dinner.
means A marine mammal of the North Pacific coasts, with dense waterproof fur, that floats on its back using its chest as a dinner table.
from Straightforward English compound — 'sea' plus 'otter,' the latter from Old English 'otor,' tracing back through Germanic roots to the ancient Indo-European word for 'water' (the same root that gives us 'water' itself). So an otter is, etymologically, simply 'the water creature'; 'sea otter' just points out which water it prefers.
- tool use
- keeps a favorite rock tucked in its armpit pouch
- fur density
- up to a million hairs per square inch, no blubber needed
- raft behavior
- holds paws while sleeping so it does not drift away
- ecosystem role
- eats urchins to keep kelp forests from vanishing