by Mother Otter Carries Baby On Her Belly To Keep It Dry And Warm
A devoted mother otter has found a unique way of keeping her newborn dry by letting the pup ride up on her belly. The moment was captured by Suzi Eszterhas, a nature photographer who saw the adorable sea otters swimming in Monterey Bay in California.
By doing so, the photographer became quite the expert in all matters concerning otters; she has practically memorized their routine. One day, Suzi was taking pictures in Monterey Bay, California, when she came across a spectacular mommy – baby moment. Apparently, this behavior is quite uncommon in the otter world. When otters procreate, the adults usually don’t form a close bond with their youngsters and won’t bother to spend a lot of time with them. This mommy otter kept her baby close and took care of him in a very caring manner. The witty mommy got creative and found an excellent way to keep her pup warm, dry, and happy; he regularly rides on her belly, as she carries him from one point to the other. She warms her baby’s body temperature by blowing her warm air on his fur as she carries him around. It’s easy to see that she genuinely cares about the little one and his well-being. The mother even blew air into its baby’s fur to groom it. The California-based nature photographer said: “I have been photographing sea otters for over 20 years, so I know sea otter behavior well.” “Most sea otter mothers are quite shy with their babies, but this mother was very habituated to people and she was very relaxed as she lovingly raised her pup in a busy harbor.” Suzi was astonished by the mommy’s behavior. She was also stunned that she didn’t seem to mind the nosy photographer. While the mommy was hunting for food, she left her sweet baby near Suzi, like she was supposed to watch him or something.
“Sometimes, she swam right up to the dock and left her pup floating on the water’s surface right in front of me while she foraged for food.” “She did this so many times; it made me feel like a babysitter. It was adorable and it also really showed how ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙʟᴇ and trusting wild animals can be.” California is home to around 3,000 sea otters, all of which are descendants of a 50 strong otter colony discovered in 1938. The species is classified as ᴇɴᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ despite boosted worldwide conservation efforts.
