In mid-December, Monterey Bay Aquarium‘s employees were surprised when they noticed a wild otter swimming around in the Great Tide Pool on several occasions. While the area is a protected basin the California bay wild animals can access, it’s rare to see an otter using the pool as frequently as this one did. Suddenly, on December 20th, it all made sense–because the otter gave birth to a pup and wanted to protect her baby in the aquarium’s pool.
The very next day, both mom and baby were still calling the Great Tide Pool home when photographer Connie Levenhagen captured a sweet moment on film. While the mom was floating on her back, the 1-day-old pup was resting on her belly. Before long, the newborn began to nod off and used its mom’s belly as a makeshift bed. Everything about this situation is downright adorable!
Make sure to check out Connie Levenhagen’s video down below.
Above photo via Connie Levenhagen
Photo via Connie Levenhagen
Photo via Connie Levenhagen
Photo via Monterey Bay Aquarium
Photo via Connie Levenhagen
Photo via Connie Levenhagen
Photo via Connie Levenhagen
Photo via Monterey Bay Aquarium
Photo via Monterey Bay Aquarium
Photo via Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr
Connie Levenhagen: Facebook | Etsy
via [Laughing Squid, Bored Panda, Mashable]