Mom & Baby Sea Otter, Elkhorn Slough, California
A sea otter mom and her pup swim through eel grass in the Elkhorn Slough in summer. Sea otter pups will stay with their mothers for up to seven months after they are born. Sea otters (Enhydra Lutris) specialize in 2-3 different types of food, and pups typically end up specializing in the same foods as their mothers. Sea otter mothers teach their pups how to find food and other useful things, such as how to eat a crab without getting pinched.