The Curious Reason Why Otters Hold Hands

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Written by Jennifer Geer

Updated: February 5, 2025

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Two Otters Floating Hold Paws
Erin Donalson/Shutterstock.com

Sea otters are among the world’s most playful and adorable animals. They are beloved for their charming antics and cuddly appearance. Otters are social animals, and in the wild, live together in groups as big as 100 individuals. A popular animal exhibit at the zoo, people love to watch these aquatic mammals swim, dive, and interact with each other.

The Vancouver Aquarium houses sea otters that were rescued as pups. Unable to return to the ocean, they spend their days swimming around their aquarium habitat. One day the Aquarium shot an endearing video of two sea otters holding each other’s paws while floating around in the water. Was this merely a sign of affection, or does it mean something more? Read on to learn the curious reason why otters hold hands.

Floating otter raft

Sea otters live together in groups of 10 to 100 individuals, often forming “rafts” when they sleep by holding paws.

Where Do Sea Otters Live?

There are many species of otters, but the only otter species seen holding hands (or paws) are sea otters. There are three species of sea otters:

  • Northern sea otters are found in the Pacific Ocean along the coast of Washington, Canada, and Alaska.
  • Southern (or California) sea otters live off the California coast.
  • Asian (or Russian) sea otters can be found off the coasts of Japan and Russia.

The majority of the world’s sea otters (90%) are northern sea otters living off of the coast of Alaska. Many of these otters can be found in the waters around Glacier Bay National Park, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, and Kenai Fjords National Park.

Do Sea Otters Hold Paws in the Wild?

When you see the aquarium otters floating on their backs holding each other’s hands in the video, it certainly looks like affectionate behavior. But the question is, do otters in the wild perform this behavior?

Otters are social creatures that live in groups with other otters. When they sleep in the open ocean, they lie on their backs floating gently along, buoyed by the ocean waves. If floating separately, the otters could easily disperse during sleep only to discover upon waking that they have ended up far away from each other. But to keep together, they form what scientists call “rafts” by either wrapping themselves in kelp or holding on to each other. Besides companionship, comfort, and warmth, sticking together like this is a form of protection and keeps a lone otter from wandering too far from its group.

Although many people associate otters with holding paws, researchers who observe otter behavior in the wild have found that paw-holding among wild otters is incredibly rare. Although it has been occasionally seen, it’s not typical otter behavior out at sea. They are more likely to wrap themselves in kelp to hold their “rafts” together than to be seen floating by holding hands.

How Many Sea Otters Does It Take To Form a “Raft”?

It only takes two sea otters floating together to be considered a raft. In the wild, sea otter rafts may be made up of just a few otters or over 100. However, 50 seems to be the typical raft size. But sometimes, massive rafts of over 200 otters and up to 1,000 individuals have been seen bobbing along the ocean waves. Spotting large groups of sea otters rafting together is a good sign that the species is rebounding. Although sea otters were once plentiful, they were nearly hunted to extinction by the 20th century by trappers due to demand for their plush fur coats.

Do River Otters Hold Hands?

Of the 13 different otter species in the world, only sea otters have occasionally been seen holding paws. River otters, for example, don’t sleep in the water but find shelter on land, such as a cave or den when resting. And when they swim, river otters keep their bellies pointed down.

How Else Do Sea Otters Use Their Paws?

Although it’s not typical to see them holding paws, there are plenty of interesting things that sea otters do with their paws. These agile paws have retractable claws used for hunting. They can also grab objects, using their thick fleshy pads to help them grasp. Interestingly, sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools. They hold rocks with their forepaws and smash open mollusks or clam shells. They even store rocks used for smashing clams in pockets of loose skin under their forearms.

Are Otters Endangered?

Sea otters once thrived and could be found in plentiful numbers up and down the Pacific Coast. In the 1700s, before they were hunted for their fur, there were thought to be 150,000 to 300,000 sea otters. Today, they have rebounded since their numbers were at their lowest, but they are still on the decline. There are only around 3,000 Southern sea otters today, living off the California coast. Sea otters are on the endangered species list and are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Sea otters are considered a keystone species, which means their disappearance causes disruption to the entire ecosystem. For example, sea otters in the Pacific Ocean eat sea urchins as part of their diet. Sea urchins in turn eat the kelp that grows in the ocean. If there aren’t enough sea otters to keep the sea urchins in check, they will multiply and munch on the ocean’s kelp forests. Kelp is critical for the ocean ecosystem and provides food and shelter for many ocean creatures including fish, sea lions, whales, and other marine animals.


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About the Author

Jennifer Geer

Jennifer Geer is a writer at A-Z Animals where her primary focus is on animals, news topics, travel, and weather. Jennifer holds a Master's Degree from the University of Tulsa, and she has been researching and writing about news topics and animals for over four years. A resident of Illinois, Jennifer enjoys hiking, gardening, and caring for her three pugs.

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