Remarks.—The otters of the San Juan Islands are referred to this race on geographical grounds. Numerous islands connect Vancouver Island with the San Juan Islands, and intervening channels are not too wide for otters to swim. Adult material may show that the otters of the San Juan Islands are referable to pacifica or to an undescribed race rather than to vancouverensis.
Enhydra lutris nereis ([Merriam])
Sea otter
Latax lutris nereis [Merriam], Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 17: 159, October 6, 1904.
Enhydra lutris nereis [Grinnell], Univ. California Publ. Zoöl., 21: 316, January 27, 1923.
Type.—Obtained on San Miguel Island, Santa Barbara Islands, by G. M. McGuire in 1904; type in United States National Museum.
Distribution.—Formerly occurred along the ocean coast of Washington. Now extinct there.
Description.—Adult sea otters reach a length of six feet. The body is stout, long and round; the tail is short, flattened and about a foot in length. The legs are short and thick. The hind feet are webbed for swimming. The head is rounded with small eyes and ears, and a seallike mustache of stiff bristles on the muzzle. The upper lip is thick and heavy, drooping over the sides of the mouth in a spaniel-like fashion. The fur is long, soft and extremely dense. The color of the body is various shades of rich, dark brown. Scattered white hairs often give the coat a frosted appearance. The heads of the adults are pale grey, occasionally almost white.
The sea otter once ranged from the Gulf of California north along the west coast of North America to Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, Siberia and Japan. It is now found only in a small area along the coast of California and in remote islands of the north Pacific. Once abundant along the coast of Washington, it is now completely extinct there.
The habits of sea otters living on the California Coast in the vicinity of Carmel have been described by [Fisher] (1939: 21-36). Available information on the sea otter in Washington has been given by [Scheffer] (1940B: 369-388). The search for sea-otter skins influenced the exploration and settlement of the northwest. Captain James Cook obtained skins of sea otter at Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, in 1778. The mouth of the Columbia River was discovered by Captain Robert [Gray] on May 11, 1792, while trading for sea otter skins.