in a shelter cove at the edge of the Pacific Ocean a pup and his mother lie cradled in a golden brown bad of giant kelp.
a foghorn echoes from the Rocky Point as the moon mist Rises.
like a woolly ball otter Pup rest on his mother's chest.
he is 2 hours old, and today is his first day on the sea.
the sunshine of late winter warms the rocky California shore but, the water is cold.
otter Pup loose fur protects him like cozy pajamas.
his mother keeps his clean and dry by rubbing it between her foerpaws and blowing warm air into it with her mouth and nose.
otter pups mother is hungry.
she plucks otter pup from her belly to anchor him she puts a strip of kelp across his belly.
otter Pup bobs up and down on the waves like a cork while his mother dives below to forge for her dinner.
otter pup shreaks for his mother.
he hears only the sound of other pups and mothers and the cove.
otter pup barks and splashes.
finally his mother pops up from uner water.
she coos at otter pup and props him on her belly.
otter pup watches as his mother pull the soft meat from the urgent she has found in the forest of kelp.
she is finished eating, otter pups mother rolls and tumbles into the water to clean her fur.
otter pup tries roll with her.
but he is to young
he calls to his twirling mother with a piercing wail and she comes to play wit him in the waves
for several months, otter pup shares hi mothers food otter pups mom brakes the hard outer shell of clams she finds on the ocean floor crack! crack! as she is opening the shell.
by springtime, otter pup is sleek and strong.
he can swim and somersault like his mom.
he is eager to search the world for his own dinner.
it is time for his first dive.
with a grate whoooosh of bubbles, otter pup rolls forward and pushes downward with his webbed like feet.
he is now at the sandy bottom.
snails and mussels and darting fish everywhere.
otter pup sees crabs and limpets and sea stars -all for the choosing!
even otter pups mother dives down for dinner otter pup puts clams in his loose fur folds under his legs.
finally, otter pup and his mother grab urchins in their front paws.
then they swim to the top of the kelp to eat.
floating on his back, otter pup spreads his dinner on his belly and tears at the urchin.
he snorts and sniffs, plucking snail treasure from his pocket.
not dun
