Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS
February 13, 2018
Curious Critters
- as seen by -
Francesca Banaag
Some of our guests’ favorite animals to visit at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium are the sea otters.
With their lush fur and tiny paws, people often assume the otters are super cuddly. Given their teeth—strong enough to crush clam shells—I definitely wouldn’t call them cuddly. We are very cautious when we work with them, but they are amazingly soft to the touch.
Otters are extremely curious. Like all of our animals, they receive various types of enrichment throughout the day. This can include things such as visual enrichment, auditory enrichment, or food treats and puzzles. Our two male otters, Jacob and Quint, enjoy nothing more than sorting through a big pile of ice in search of food. It allows them to act out natural foraging behaviors. One of my favorite parts of my job is using different types of enrichment to make their exhibit “new” and encouraging the otters to explore.
Nikon D5
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