Wildlife in Texas - Types of Texan Animals
California Aquarium Pairs Stranded Sea Otter Pups With Surrogate Moms
Every year, around 10 to 15 sea otter pups are found stranded off the California coast, often due to storms that separate mother and offspring.
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is partnering with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to pair pups with surrogate sea otter mothers with the hope of teaching them life skills and returning them to the wild.
As part of the program, the aquarium has successfully bonded their first surrogate mom, called Ellie, and a currently unnamed pup.
ENDANGERED SEA OTTERS ARE RETURNING TO CALIFORNIA, SLOWING MARSHLAND EROSION
"That mom is going to teach them all of the behaviors that we cannot teach, being people," said Megan Smylie, the sea otter program manager at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
A sea otter stands as another sea otter emerges from the water at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California on April 11, 2024. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
"That adult female will start to mimic behaviors that the pup should learn, will help it groom, will help it forage, will help it teach prey manipulation, how to open up shells and anything that they would need to know that humans are unable to teach them," Smylie added.
California sea otters are a protected species. After being relentlessly hunted for their unique fur - they have the densest hair of any animal with up to a million hairs per square inch - they were thought to be extinct until a colony of 50 was found off the coast of Big Sur in the 1930s.
Now, the numbers are up to around 3,000 but more are needed not only for the species' survival but also to protect California's near-shore ecosystems.
"They are a critical sort of predator in that system that keeps herbivores like sea urchins in check so that sea urchins don't overpopulate and take out kelp forests and eel grass beds, as an example," said Brett Long, a senior director at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
The sea grass and kelp ecosystems are credited with creating biodiversity, protecting against climate events and are a powerful tool in carbon sequestration, Smylie said.
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Sea otters may be super cute and cuddly, but Long also says they are very territorial and are "just a wolverine in the water."
Their eating habits are pricey, as they consume 25 percent of their bodyweight every day in restaurant-quality seafood. So a 45-pound otter eats 10-12 pounds of seafood a day.
That means that feeding an otter costs the aquarium $40,000 a year and demands constant fundraising.
The two aquariums have rescued eight stranded pups and hope other organizations can join the effort to increase the population in the wild and protect the California shore ecosystem.
"This is a bigger purpose," said Long. "This is a higher challenge. So we invest and we invest a lot but we've all now learned and appreciate, boy, you see that juvenile otter survive out in the wild. That feels incredible."
Help Name Baby Otter Triplets Born At Michigan's Potter Park Zoo
LANSING, MI – You can help name the adorable otter pup triplets at Potter Park Zoo by voting between three sets of names.
The tiny pups – each weighing about as much as a deck of cards – were born at the Lansing zoo in February to parents Nkeke and Miles.
RELATED: Tiny otter triplets born at Michigan zoo
The triplets are a bit bigger now and in need of names. Zoo staff have compiled three options and need the public's help to pick one. Here they are:
Cast your vote here. Each vote costs $5; these donations will support the zoo's conservation efforts. Voting ends at 10 p.M. On Sunday, April 28.
Nkeke, originally from the Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island, has been a resident of Potter Park Zoo since 2016. She shares her habitat with Miles, the father of the otter pups, who was born at the zoo in 2013. As part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Nkeke and Miles were selected to breed, resulting in the births of 10 pups to date. This is their fourth litter and second set of triplets.
See photos below.
Otter triplets born at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo in February need names. The zoo is holding a naming contest; each vote costs $5.Potter Park Zoo
Otter triplets born at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo in February need names. The zoo is holding a naming contest; each vote costs $5.Potter Park Zoo
Otter triplets born at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo in February need names. The zoo is holding a naming contest; each vote costs $5.Potter Park Zoo
Otter triplets born at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo in February need names. The zoo is holding a naming contest; each vote costs $5.Potter Park Zoo
Otter triplets born at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo in February need names. The zoo is holding a naming contest; each vote costs $5.Potter Park Zoo
Otter triplets born at Lansing's Potter Park Zoo in February need names. The zoo is holding a naming contest; each vote costs $5.Potter Park Zoo
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Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story Streaming Release Date: When Is It Coming Out On Disney Plus And Hulu?
The Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story Disney Plus and Hulu streaming release date is around the corner, and viewers are wondering when they can start streaming the documentary movie.
Viewers are interested to see Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story as it promises to be a heartwarming tale of love and closeness. Here's when the documentary movie is coming out on Disney Plus and Hulu.
When is the Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story Disney Plus and Hulu release date?The Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story Disney Plus and Hulu streaming release date is May 7, 2024. This is one day after its premiere on National Geographic on May 6, 2024.
The story of Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story revolves around a wild otter who washes ashore on Billy Mail's jetty in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland. Billy Mail, his wife Susan, and their dog Jade take in the otter and name it Molly and soon start to care for it deeply. Through his care for Molly, Billy finds a new purpose in life.
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story is directed by Charlie Hamilton-James, who also provided the cinematography for the film alongside Johnny Rolt and Bertie Gregory, and produced by Jeff Wilson of Silverback Films. Alastair Fothergill, Tom McDonald, Janet Vissering, and Keith Scholey serve as executive producers of the film. The film's music was composed by Erland Cooper.
When is Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story coming out via streaming?Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story will be available to watch via streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu on May 7, 2024. Viewers will be able to stream it at this time.
Current Disney Plus subscribers will be able to watch the series when it airs, and if you haven't already subscribed to the service, you can do so below:
Watch Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story Here
Current Hulu subscribers will be able to watch the series when it airs.
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story's official synopsis reads:
"From National Geographic and Silverback Films, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story is a heart-warming story of love between a wild otter and a man set in the remote Scottish islands of Shetland."
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