Surrogate Sea Otter Moms Help Restore Population

Posted by: Sandy Steinman | September 17, 2023

Surrogate Sea Otter Moms Help Restore Population

from Bay Nature

It turns out sea otters are better than people at raising sea otters. In the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s surrogacy program, researchers have found pups raised by surrogate otter moms “had a higher survival rate, they hit developmental milestones sooner, and they were far more likely to assimilate back into the wild.” This could be useful if the U.S. government decides to reintroduce sea otters to their historic range. Erin Underwood gives us a look inside the aquarium’s otter-rearing program (fun fact: baby otters get clam-flavored formula!).

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