The lively sea otters on exhibit came to the aquarium as stranded pups. They don't have the skills to survive in the wild.
You can watch aquarists feed and train our sea otters during our daily Sea Otter Program at 10:30, 1:30 and 3:30.
Training keeps our otters mentally and physically stimulated; it also makes working with the otters safer for us and less stressful for them.
One favorite otter toy is called a "food tube." Trainers freeze food inside, then it's up to the otters to figure out how to get it out.
While some marine mammals have a thick layer of fat to keep out the cold, a sea otter's wrapped in the world's densest fur.
On the second floor of the exhibit, you can watch sea otters at the surface, while first-floor windows give an underwater view.
The otters like to crunch on ice cubes which is somewhat like having to crack through the hard shells of the food they usually eat.
Our exhibit otters are sometimes behind the scenes serving as companions and surrogate mothers to rescued otter pups.
Our Sea Otter Research and Conservation program's goal is to discover why California's otter population is in crisis and how we can help.
