Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't float away from each other.

The Story

Sea otters live in the ocean their whole lives. They eat there, play there, and even sleep there — floating on their backs on top of the water. But when they sleep, the ocean waves could carry them far away from their family!

So otters do something amazing. They hold hands with the otter next to them while they sleep. They bob up and down on the waves together, like a fluffy, sleepy raft. Sometimes they also wrap themselves in long, stringy seaweed called kelp to stay in one spot.

A group of otters floating together is called a raft. And otters really do have best friends — they choose the same partner to hold hands with night after night. Scientists have seen the same pairs holding hands for years.

Make Your Prediction

What do sea otters use to stay in one spot when there's no one to hold hands with?

Pick your answer to reveal the explanation.

Today's Challenge

Find a soft toy or a pillow. Hold hands with it. Now pretend you're a sea otter floating on the ocean. Close your eyes for one minute. Did you float away?

You'll need

A soft toy or pillow

Talk About It

Do you have a best friend you always want to stay close to?
Why do you think otters hold hands instead of just swimming really fast to catch up?
If you had to sleep floating on the ocean, who would you hold hands with?

Go Deeper

A group of sea otters floating together is called a "raft". The biggest otter raft ever seen had more than 2,000 otters floating together off the coast of Alaska.