Our sea otters' contagious energy and playful antics delight visitors and aquarists alike.
Watch animal favorites "Ham it Up".
Our youngest exhibit otter, Mae was stranded at Corcoran Lagoon in Santa Cruz and rescued in April 2001 when she was two days old. Despite efforts by our Sea Otter Research and Conservation program, she did not develop the survival skills she'd need in the wild.
New Kids on the Block
Summer 2002
With the passing of our famed and beloved exhibit otters—Roscoe, Goldie and Hailey—three young female southern sea otters are welcomed at the Aquarium. Rescued by the
Sea Otter Research and Conservation (SORAC) program, Mae, Rosa, and Maggie each prove too bonded or too friendly to humans to survive in the wild.
Sea Otter Studies
Our
exhibit sea otters are valuable resources for our conservation efforts. Over the years, biologists have worked with our exhibit otters to collect data for studies on how sea otters handle prey, their diving ability and reproductive cycles, their sense of smell and to determine whether sea otters can escape from fishing traps.
Target training lets us test our exhibit otters' sensitivity to the smell of different substances found naturally in their prey. The data can help us better understand how sea otters interact with the marine environment.
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