Why Do Sea Otters Hold Hands While Sleeping? It's Not Just Cute
Sea otters holding hands as they sleep is one of nature's most heartwarming sights — and it serves a very practical purpose. Sea otters spend almost their entire lives at sea, including eating, sleeping, and giving birth. To avoid drifting apart in ocean currents while resting on the water's surface, they hold hands and form floating rafts of dozens — sometimes hundreds — of individuals. Sea otter fur is the densest of any mammal, with up to 150,000 hairs per square centimeter, trapping air for insulation against freezing water. They're also among the rare non-primate tool users: they use rocks to crack open shellfish, and carry their favorite stone in a loose skin pouch under their arm.