Zoo's baby otter gets swimming lessons from mom

April 4, 2013 - 11:00am

Tilly and 2-month-old pup make a splash in Cascade Stream and Pond habitat

Learning to swim isn't easy, even for a river otter.

Mo, a North American river otter born at the Oregon Zoo in late January, took his first dip last week, but not without a lot of help from mom. Tilly initiated the swimming lesson by nudging Mo to the water's edge and then plunging in with a firm grip on the scruff of her pup's neck, just as otter moms do in the wild.

"A lot of people don't realize it, but swimming doesn't come naturally to river otter pups," said keeper Becca Van Beek. "They have to be taught to swim by their moms, and so far Tilly's been an amazing teacher."

Even though Tilly is a first-time mom, she has been doing all the right things for her pup, according to keepers.

"It might look kind of scary to a casual observer," Van Beek said. "She'll grab Mo by the scruff of the neck and dunk him in the water. But that's a very natural behavior. Baby otters are extremely buoyant, so Mo has built-in water wings for his swim lessons. This is how baby otters learn to swim, and it's exactly what we've been hoping to see."

Until last week, Tilly and her baby had occupied a private, off-exhibit maternity den. River otters are very dependent on their mothers when they're born. It's usually three to five weeks before young otters open their eyes, and about five weeks before they first walk.

After first baby-proofing the exhibit, zookeepers began giving Tilly and Mo outdoor access during the mornings, and since then the otters have been making quite a splash. The best time for zoo visitors to catch them is between 9:30 a.m. and noon, though the otters don't always decide to venture out, Van Beek said.

Mo, named for the Molalla River, is the first river otter to be born at the Oregon Zoo. He weighed around 4 ounces at birth, but has been growing fast and now is approaching 5 pounds. Adult river otters usually weigh 11 to 30 pounds.




