Sea Otters

  • Southern sea otters on exhibit

    Southern sea otters on exhibit

  • An otter plays peek-a-boo

    An otter plays peek-a-boo

  • Inquisitive otters

    Inquisitive otters

  • Enrichment toys are fun!

    "Enrichment" toys are fun!

  • Nap time

    Nap time

  • Otter antics

    Otter antics

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Enjoy the antics of our playful southern sea otters as they romp, tumble and wrestle like their brethren in the bay. On the second floor of the exhibit you can watch them swim at the surface, while first-floor windows give an underwater view. Feeding and training sessions are held three times daily.

Exhibit News

Joy and Otter 572: Playing with Purpose
This may look like just a pile of fur, but it’s actually the newest addition to our sea otter exhibit: a male pup, shown with his companion, Joy. At 10 weeks old, he spends most of his time eating, playing with toys and grooming!
Get the latest exhibit updates on Tumblr

Did You Know?

  • Sea otters have the world's densest fur—up to a million hairs per square inch! (You have 100,000 hairs or less on your whole head.)
  • Sea otters live in loose-knit groups called rafts. Otters in rafts often sleep side-by-side, wrapped in strands of kelp so that they don't drift far from each other.
  • Training and "enrichment" games keep our otters mentally and physically stimulated; it also makes working with the otters safer for us and less stressful for them.
More sea otter facts

Don’t Miss

Kit Goes to College Read the story of Kit, a rescued sea otter. In her journey from orphaned pup to surrogate mom she goes to "Otter U" and learns what being an otter is all about.
Meet Kit

View Aquarium map PDF