Sea Otters Solve a Delicious Challenge #shorts

#seaotters #shorts #kpassionate
I gave frozen food puzzles to two sea otters. It didn't take them long to figure out the best way to crack into the treats hidden inside!

Sea otters are the heaviest member of the mustelid family, also known as the weasel family, and are closely related to animals like badgers, wolverines, and of course weasels. Just like their weasel cousins, sea otters have very active minds and are constantly curious. They love solving problems and puzzles. This curious nature helps wild sea otters figure out ways to eat their favorite foods, things like clams, mussels, abalone, and sea urchin. Just like with these frozen food puzzles, the easiest way for a sea otter to open a clam is to bash it against a rock!

These treats were simply curved tubes filled with frozen shrimp and ice. Sea otters have a natural instinct to bang things against rocks so this gave them the perfect outlet!

Both sea otters were rescued and rehabilitated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The sea otter with the nose scar is named Moea. She was found stranded on a beach after her fur had become tainted with oil from a spill. Moea was rehabilitated and returned her to the wild but the little sea otter preferred the company of humans and would often seek out humans. This posed a danger to both the humans and herself. As a result, she was also deemed non-releasable by the NOAA and the Department of Fish & Wildlife. Learn more about why some sea otters have nose scars here: https://youtu.be/UIQQwwVt4y0

The other sea otter is named Libby and she was less than 24 hours old when she was found alone after becoming separated from her mother. Due to her very young age, and lack of survival skills, she was also deemed non-releasable by the same government agencies and will remain under human care.

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