Otter
Another animal that we would ooh and aah over is the sea otter. I went a bit misty-eyed at the discovery that otters hold hands as they sleep so that they don’t float away from each other. For the necessarily unsentimental colonists, however, these furry beasts were just another source of food.
Historically, otters were very prevalent along the west coast of North America. Because of the water repellant and warm characteristics of their fur, they were a huge target of the fur trade, almost hunted to extinction. Not wanting to waste a good meal, once the otter was skinned its meat would be cooked.