The California otter known for attacking surfers in Santa Cruz has become a mother after she was recently spotted with a pup on her belly.
The mother, known as Sea Otter 841, was spotted far off the coast on Wednesday as she rolled around in the waves with her new baby.
Photographer Mark Woodward, one of the otter’s biggest fans, shared special moments of 841 with her pup.
The mama otter is infamous for attacking surfers, biting their boards and evading wildlife officials.
Photographer Mark Woodward captured 841 on her back as her new pup laid on her belly (pictured). The mama otter is infamous for attacking surfers, biting their boards and evading wildlife officials
Woodward noted that sea otter mothers have to leave their child on the surface of the ocean while they dive in and hunt for food like shellfish
It is unclear exactly when 841 had her pup, but some suspect that hormones from her pregnancy may have made her aggressive toward swimmers in the ocean
Though the birth of her pup has yet to be confirmed by state and federal wildlife authorities, her vicious behavior in the past might be credited to her pregnancy.
A spokeswoman for the US Fish and Wildlife Service said that they plan to send someone out to the area on Thursday to confirm the pup’s existence.
The gestational period for sea otters is known to last longer than that of other otters and can range between four to twelve months.
Communications team leader for the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, Ashley McConnell told LA Times: ‘Hormonal surges related to pregnancy have been known to cause aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters. There are currently no plans to attempt capture.’
Previous footage of the otter in June showed her latching onto a surfboard and beginning to tug it away deeper into the ocean
In the clip, the surfer rushes after the otter and becomes enveloped in a full-blown water fight, splashing water at the mammal to try and get her to leave
The interaction prompted a series of hilarious reactions online from the June encounter with otter 841
‘The otters have joined the war,’ one person wrote, referencing the internet implying that orcas have waged a war on vessels in their home waters
Otter 841 has given birth twice before this, as her first pup survived and the second one did not.
Joon Lee, an Apple software engineer from San Jose, has developed a fear of otters, also known as lutraphobia ever since 841 attacked his surfboard in July.
Lee said that while the news of the otter’s new baby is ‘amazing’ he still wants to make sure that she has calmed down before he revisits the water.
Wildlife officials deemed 841 a ‘public safety hazard’ for her reported attacks.
Kevin Connor, a spokesman for the Monterey Bay Aquarium told SF Gate that Sea Otter 841 was originally born in captivity and ‘raised not to form positive relationships with people.’
The previous plan was to safely capture and relocate her to a wildlife facility, but 841 managed to escape each time. Now they plan to leave her be as she spends time with her pup.
Woodward, who has documented the otter’s adventures since June noted that sea otter mothers have to leave their child on the surface of the ocean while they dive in and hunt for food like shellfish.
Different from freshwater otters, sea otters are known to give birth in the water. Once the pup is born they are then carried and nursed on their mother’s belly.
Like many relationships between a mother and her kids, female otters are known to aggressively defend their offspring against anyone they consider to be an intruder.
Sea otter 841 (pictured) was caught stealing a man’s surfboard from him in Santa Cruz back in June
The otter appeared unfazed and even repeatedly mounted the board until the clip ends without showing how the situation between the pair was resolved
Sea otter pups are known to start swimming and eating solid foods after about four weeks, and start to dive around 6 weeks.
They are also know to be highly dependent on their mothers for an average of six months.
McConnell said: ‘Feeding and caring for a pup requires significant energy reserves,’ and that an average adult sea otter had to forge and eat 20 to 30 percent of its body mass in order to meet those energy requirements.
Woodward and Dustin Mulvaney, a professor of Environmental Studies at San Jose State University have named the new pup ‘Otter 841+1’.
Woodward said in an X post: ‘A request to keep 841 and her pup safe. We can not have a repeat of the 841 madness with people trying to get close to her. No one should us a kayak, paddle board or anything else to get close to them.
‘This is a critical time for 841 and pup, observe them from the cliffs only!’
The date of the pup’s birth is unknown, but the baby’s mother is five-years-old. Woodward also said that he suspected she might’ve been pregnant ‘due to her increased belly size’.
Sea Otter 841 has become so popular in the area that back in August, she had an ice-cream flavor named after her at Marianne’s Ice Cream in Santa Cruz.