Sea Otters: An Animal Rescue Story

Today we’re visiting a very special animal named 696 at The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Come with us and learn more about sea otters and how cool they are, along with 696's rescue story, and what you can do to help sea otters thrive in their natural habitat! Because here at Animal Rescue Adventures…
every animal matters, and every explorer helps.

Transcript

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Hey explorers, welcome to Animal Rescue Adventures, the show where we meet amazing animals and become heroes for them too. I'm Steph and today we're going on a rescue mission. Today we're visiting a very special animal named 696 at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Can you guess what kind of animal he is? That may have been difficult. 696 is a sea otter. Let's learn a few cool things about sea otters. Sea otters are the largest member of the weasel family, yet they are the smallest marine mammal in North America. They have loose skin folds under their arms that act as pouches to store food in their favorite rock. It's like they've built in pockets. When sleeping in the water, they wrap themselves in giant kelp to prevent drifting away. Do you have a seaweed blanket? Unlike other marine mammals, they rely entirely on their dense waterproof fur for insulation. Sea otters must consume 25 to 30% of their body weight in food every day to maintain their high metabolism and to stay warm as they don't have blubber. They can dive up to 300 feet to find food. A group of resting otters is called a raft. Approximately ninety percent of the world's sea otters live in coastal Alaska. Southern sea otters range along the mainland coastline of California from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County and San Nicolas Island. When a stranded newborn sea otter pup was reported at Point Lobo State Reserve State Reserve, the sea otter team sprang into action. Once safely settled at the aquarium, the sea otter pup, who they identified as pup six nine six, they gave him a number instead of a name since they intended to release him back into the wild. The team needed to work on building up his strength. PUP 696 played with toys to build up his jaw strength and his paw dexterity needed for eating crabs, urchins, and other hard-shelled invertebraes in the wild. Although PUP 696 could float from birth, he still needed to learn to dive and glide in the water. So the aquarium caregivers taught him how to swim better. After weeks of chomping on toys to strengthen his jaw, PU 696 graduated to eating solid food. Then 696 met his surrogate otter mom, Rosa. A surrogate mom is a mom that he's not born from, but one who takes on the role of being their mom. So this sea otter named Rosa took on the role of being 696's mother. So then what happened? Rosa taught him how to dive, collect food, and other skills that he needed to survive in the wild. Then the rescue team was able to return PUP 696 back into the wild, where he could live and reproduce. He had many babies and helped grow the otter population in that area for the past 15 years. Trivia time. True or false, sea otters keep warm from their blubber. False. They don't have blubber. They have very dense fur that keeps them warm. A group of otters is called a raft. What a cool term. True or false? A sea otter can dive up to 300 feet. That's true. They can dive really deep. Where did 696 go after he was rehabilitated? He was released back into the ocean. Alright, explorers. Here's your mission today. You can help sea otters like 696 by. If you have a pet cat, never flush his litter down the toilet. Kitty litter contains parasites that can wash into the ocean and kill sea otters. Avoid using plastic straws and plastic bags that can harm marine life. Ask your parents not to pour household chemicals down the sink or the drain. They can often end up in the ocean. If you see sea otters in the wild, never touch, feed, or approach them, as this disturbs their resting and feeding. If you live on the coast, you can learn about local protected areas with kelp and why they are important. Every small action makes a big difference. Our adventure ends today with our new friend, 696. Let's promise to do our part to protect animals and our planet. Because here at Animal Rescue Adventures, every animal matters and every explorer helps. And for the parents listening, remember to sign up for our Animal Rescue Adventures Club at www.supportanimal rescue adventures.com. That's support animal rescue adventures.com. See you later.