One day, a wild sea otter made her way into the Monterey Bay Aquarium‘s Great Tidal Pool in Monterey, Calif.
It is not unusual to see wild otters in the Aquarium as they are often seen enjoying the Great Tidal Pool’s protected basin.
But, this wild sea otter had something else in her mind. She chose this place to give birth to a baby sea otter pup.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, “It’s rare for a healthy sea otter to visit the pool so frequently — we started to wonder if she was doing all right.
Well, mystery solved! Around 8:30 a.m., Aquarium staff witnessed a BRAND NEW pup resting on her belly, being furiously groomed by a proud momma. We’re talking umbilical-chord-still-attached, whoa-is-that-yep-that’s-the-placenta new-born otter pup!”
What the aquarium’s staff witnessed after that melted their hearts. The mommy sea otter and her newborn were seen playing, grooming and swimming. The aquarium’s staff couldn’t stop themselves from taking pictures and videos.
Watch the video to see how they bonded with each other. It is too adorable!
The adorable duo is winning the Internet with their cuteness. According to the aquarium’s website, sea otters were nearly extinct not too long ago. So, it is a really big deal.
“Maybe 50 were left in all of California by the early 1800’s. But now, thanks to legislative protection and a change of heart toward these furriest of sea creatures, the otter population has rebounded to steady levels in the Monterey Bay, and with 3,000 total in central California.” the Monterey Bay said in its blog post.
While writing their blog post, the adorable duo was still there enjoying the comfort of the Great Tide Pool. The Monterey Bay promised that they would keep everyone updated on this new otter family.