Sea Otters Use Their Paws as Pacifiers #shorts

#seaotter #shorts #kpassionate
Two sea otters swim around using their paws like pacifiers. They even bonk heads! Sea otters will often use their paws similar to how children use pacifiers or their thumbs. It’s a comfort mechanism that biologists and psychologists say mimics the feel-good effects of nursing.

Learn more about sea otters: https://youtu.be/EXzsZ_XdyxM

All three sea otters in this habitat were rescued and deemed non-releasable by the NOAA and the Department of Wildlife.

According to the Oregon Zoo:
"Juno is a female southern sea otter that stranded on the California coast as a pup in January 2014. Staff with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation program arranged for the rescue of the pup and its transport to Monterey. Sea otter program staff immediately began searching for a home for Juno, realizing there were no experienced otters available to rear her release to the wild. Juno is active, playful and curious, and began eating and grooming herself within a half hour of arriving at the Oregon Zoo's Steller Cove."

"Lincoln is a male southern sea otter. He was born in October of 2017, and was stranded along the California coast when he was less than 2 weeks old. Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation program rescued him. Because he wasn't able to be paired with a surrogate mom at the Aquarium, he came to the Oregon Zoo in December of 2017."

"Uni Sushi is a female southern sea otter. She was found as a tiny pup stranded on a beach near Santa Cruz in 2018, and was brought to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's rescue and care program. Unable to be paired with a surrogate mom, she was eventually deemed non-releasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a permanent home was found for her at the Oregon Zoo. The marine mammal care team named the pup "Uni Sushi" (uni is the Japanese word for sea urchin), in honor of the diet of sustainable seafood she and the rest of the sea otter family enjoy."

Learn more here: https://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/animals/sea-otter

The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent positions, strategies, or opinions of the Oregon Zoo or Metro Parks Tacoma.

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