CALIF. — A wild sea otter gave birth Saturday in a California aquarium’s public tide pool.
"It's not every day you get to watch a sea otter pup come into the world," wrote the Monterey Bay Aquarium over its Facebook page. "When a pregnant wild otter took shelter in our Great Tide Pool Saturday, we had a unique opportunity to see it happen."
Sea otters are capable of giving birth both in water and on land.
The mother begins grooming her pup promptly after birth. Aquarium officials say a well-groomed sea otter pup is so buoyant “it’s practically unsinkable.”
To see the full birthing video, click here. >> [Warning: the miracle of life is graphic!]
It’s not every day you get to watch a sea otter pup come into the world! But when a pregnant wild otter took shelter in our Great Tide Pool Saturday, we had a unique opportunity to see it happen. Sea otters can give birth in water or on land. You’ll notice that mom starts grooming her pup right away to help it stay warm and buoyant—a well-groomed sea otter pup is so buoyant it’s practically unsinkable! For more video of the birth (spoiler alert: the miracle of life is graphic!) check out our YouTube channel: http://mbayaq.co/1R0v6oD . Besides keeping the pup afloat, grooming also helps get the blood flowing and other internal systems revved up for a career of chomping on invertebrates and keeping nearshore ecosystems, like the kelp forests in Monterey Bay, and the eel grass at Elkhorn Slough, healthy.Our sea otter researchers have been watching wild otters for years and have never seen a birth close up like this. We’re amazed and awed to have had a chance to witness this Monterey Bay conservation success story first hand in our own backyard. Welcome to the world, little otter!
Posted by Monterey Bay Aquarium on Sunday, March 6, 2016
From the Monterey Bay Aquarium:
"We're amazed and awed to have had a chance to witness this Monterey Bay conservation success story first hand in our own backyard. Welcome to the world, little otter!"
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