A sea otter and her pup

A sea otter mother and pup floating in the water

Photo By/Credit

Lilian Carswell/USFWS

Date Shot/Created

08/07/2023

Media Usage Rights/License

Public Domain

Image

A southern sea otter grooms while her pup nurses in Moss Landing, Calif. Sea otter moms are tough. Female sea otters expend enormous amounts of energy on pup-rearing, which they do without assistance from the pup's father. By the time the pup nears weaning at around 6 months old, mom’s daily energy demands are almost twice as high. When prey is limited, that makes mom’s job even harder. Photo by Lilian Carswell/USFWS.

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