Despite almost being hunted to the brink of extinction, sea otters in the United States are seeing an important recovery. Sea Otter Awareness Week offers us another opportunity to learn more, and let’s be honest, look at pictures and videos of these furry mammals. This year’s theme is Anchored in Hope, in honor of the spirit of recovery and connectedness between sea otters, their ecosystem, and humans. The way that sea otters wrap themselves in kelp when the water gets rough, people can anchor themselves in hope for future ocean conservation work.
Enjoy these images from Sea Otter Savvy, a community science outreach organization that educates the public on otters, and learn a bit about how these images were taken. Sea Otter Savvy also offers important tips on how to photograph sea otters safely. (Click to expand images to full screen.)
“We had been observing and photographing this sea otter mother and pup for quite a while. The tide was going out, so our kayak drifted within 55-60 feet of these otters. We took few more quick shots before back paddling not wanting to disturb their slumber. We loved having the opportunity to sit quietly in our kayak and observe a mother sea otter and her pup sleeping so peacefully. A kayak allows you to sit low in the water so you can capture a more intimate perspective of sea otter behavior-best of all a kayak does not have a motor! We maintain our distance and orientation while photographing by using a tandem kayak with one of us always on paddle duty. The image was taken with a Canon 5D Mark IV and 100-400mm lens and was cropped.” – Jeff and Wendy. Image: Jeff and Wendy Photography“This image was unexpected — the way some of our best wildlife experiences tend to be. I was sitting on a beach in Monterey Bay, photographing godwits and plovers along the shoreline. It was my favorite kind of day: cold with a bit of overcast and diffused light. The cool weather tends to keep beach goers away, providing more chances to photograph shorebirds undisturbed. In my periphery, I saw two shapes bobbing and diving in the surf, and the movements seemed much more otter-like than sea lion. A look through my lens confirmed those telltale faces and postures. I normally come across sea otters in the calmer water bodies, so I was delighted to see them foraging and dining in these churning waves — a photographic first for me. I use an Olympus mirrorless camera — EM1 Mark II with an m.zuiko 300mm f/4.0 lens (600mm equivalent)” – Ingrid. Image: Ingrid Taylar. A hungry sea otter dives for prey in the kelp forest at Asilomar State Marine Reserve Distance: ~300 ft Lens: Canon EF 100-400 mm. Image: Morgan Rector. “This photo depicts a mother sea otter sharing food with her young pup in Moss Landing Harbor, California. The prey item is the soft tissue of a large clam (shell has already been discarded). I was on shore, seated among the rocks and vegetation, at a distance of approximately 100 ft. Because I knew this specific area was a favorite feeding ground of local sea otters, I set up here when no otters were around, content to photograph snowy egrets and willets while I waited patiently. Before long, this mom and pup showed up and began to feed. Technical details: Canon 5D mark II and a 100-400mm lens, shot at 400mm, handheld, cropped in post-processing.” – Joe. Image: Joe Tomoleoni.“Three’s company! While kayaking out in the Monterey Bay, I spotted a raft of sea otters nestled in a kelp forest resting. For otters, keeping warm is a lot of work. Without a layer of blubber to insulate them, they rely on their thick fur and caloric intake to help keep themselves warm enough. That’s why otters need to consume about 25% of their body weight in food every day! All that foraging, grooming, and calorie burning takes a ton of energy, which is why otters nap quite often to conserve energy. As they nap, otters will often wrap themselves up in kelp to prevent drifting off in the ocean currents. In order to respect the nap and prevent disturbing these sleeping otters, I captured this image from over 100 feet away using a 400mm lens and cropping the image to better show the subjects” – Emily. Image: Emily Pomeroy. “I took this photo at the sea otter nursery in Morro Bay at the south T-pier. At some times of year, the harbor’s sea otters gather in between this public pier and walkway. They take little notice of people as long as they’re quiet. I was in the viewing area approximately 30 feet from the otters in the water below. The camera I used was a Canon SX50 with a 1200mm zoom and the photo is slightly cropped. This little fluffy pup was just floating close to its mom as she spent some time grooming herself. It was just a sweet moment to observe.” – Linda. Image: Linda Dron.
