Celebrating Georgia Aquarium's Adorable Sea Otters

Take a dive with us to meet the adorable sea otters of Georgia Aquarium for Sea Otter Awareness Week (9/19-9/24).

Also, THE AQUARIUM, which ran for two seasons on Animal Planet (2019-2020) and provided viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at Georgia Aquarium, is available in its entirety to stream on discovery+.

September 23, 2021

By: Discovery and Georgia Aquarium

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Photo By: ADDISON HILL

Photo By: Addison Hill

Photo By: ADDISON HILL

Who doesn’t love a good sea otter snack? A throwback to Georgia Aquarium celebrating Mara & Gibson’s 1-year with some yummy enrichment.

Sea otter tub time!

Name a cuter trio. Southern sea otters have a high metabolic rate. Their hind feet and front paws lose the most heat because fur is sparse or absent, so the sea otter often can be seen holding them out of the water to conserve body heat while it floats on its back.

The paw-fect picture doesn’t exi…

Otter-five for sea otter awareness week! Sea otters are considered a keystone species because they help to maintain the health of kelp forests by preying on sea urchins, which, if allowed to proliferate, can destroy a kelp forest.

The fur of the sea otter is the densest of all mammals at about 350,000 to 1,000,000 hairs per square inch, compared to dogs that only have 1,000 to 60,000 hairs per square inch.

An otter-ly adorable Mara and Gibson throwback. Both sea otters were rescued off the coast of California and have found their forever home at Georgia Aquarium.

Click for more throwback photos of Gibson as a pup at Georgia Aquarium! How otter-ly adorable?

Dog toys aren’t just for dogs! Did you know dog toys also make great sea otter enrichment items?

The urge to boop is so strong. Probably the fluffiest face you’ll see today.

Ice baths are one form of enrichment given to the sea otters at Georgia Aquarium. Mara seems to be enjoying hers.

We can almost feel the softness of Bixby’s fur in this photo. A sea otter’s body is covered in a dense fur that constantly must be groomed to maintain its insulating properties and cleanliness; therefore, a sea otter will spend up to 10% of its time grooming.

A Mara throwback for your day.

Can you believe this little sea otter pup will eat up to 25 percent of its body weight every day? Sea otters must eat 20% to 25% of their body weight every day to maintain a normal body temperature, so they will spend much of the day foraging.