The animal currently ranges from Destruction Island near Kalaloch to Seiku on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In the 1700s they ranged east to about Port Angeles. People who claim to have spotted sea otters in the San Juan Islands have actually spotted their smaller cousin the river otter, which often bounds down a beach to hunt in salt water. River otters are half the weight of their marine relatives, are easily identified by their long and tapering tail, can sprint up to 18 mph on land, and den on shore. They tend to swim on their bellies while sea otters paddle on their backs.
River otters are the kids on the playground of the animal kingdom.
They slide on snow, playfully wrestle, touch muzzles, holler, flip, splash, balance, poke and make whoopee. Their language is universal. The slightly more staid sea otters are extremely clumsy on land and spend almost all their time on their backs at sea, the air in their fur keeping them as buoyant as a life jacket. Their existence looks like life in a cruise chair. They sleep, feed, mate, give birth and raise their young at sea.