A female river otter has four nipples on her lower abdomen which provide rich milk with 24% fat. Pups nurse every three to four...

Female Otter with Pup

Alaska, USA

A female river otter has four nipples on her lower abdomen which provide rich milk with 24% fat. Pups nurse every three to four hours for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Sea otters nurse for six to eight months.

A female sea otter carries her pup on her belly and spends a great deal of time grooming it for the first three months. When she dives for food, the mother often wraps her pup in strands of kelp to keep it from drifting. If she senses danger, she grabs the pup by the loose skin of the neck with her teeth and dives until they reach safety.

Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.

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