Because male sea otters hold the female’s head or nose with their jaws during copulation, many females have visible face scars.
When a male sea otter finds a receptive female, the two bond for the duration of estrus, or 3 days.
The couple engages in playful and sometimes aggressive behavior. The male holds the female’s head or nose with his jaws during copulation. Visible scars are often present on females from this behavior.
• Image | ©️ Andrew Reding, Some Rights Reserved(CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
• Sources | (Allegra & Gunderson 2012; Estes, 1980; McShane, Estes, Riedman, & Staedler, 1995; Nowak, 1999)
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