There were about 150 sea otters living in Simpson Bay this summer. This was a "nursery" area, so the population consisted of moms, pups, and territorial males. Most females give birth in late spring/early summer, so we saw plenty of moms swimming on their backs while their pups hitched free rides on their bellies. When Mom gets hungry, she leaves her pup floating at the surface while she dives to find food at the bottom of the Bay. She doesn't always come up to the surface in the same spot she went under, this makes it hard for her to find her little puppy. Not to worry though, because after a few quack-like calls from mom and some squeaks from the lost pup, they swim towards each others unique calls to be together again. We always enjoyed watching these tearful reunions.

Adult males defend territories in female areas, and sometimes fight with each other. One fight between 2 males turned out to be more of a boxing match than an otter squabble. I named the winning male "Rocky".

Sea otters eat lots of strange and interesting things. One male, Harry, was the best seafood connoisseur. We watched him eat huge sea cucumbers, red fat innkeeper worms, clams, mussels, and crabs. Personally, I like to think his favorite was the octopus. I could tell he enjoyed eating each wiggling arm one by one. It seems like a big meal for an otter. But Harry needed it, because he was also one of the largest males.