Surfboard-Stealing Otter's Aggression Explained by a Birth

Attempts to capture an aggressive surfboard-stealing sea otter in California are on hold as "Otter 841" is now accompanied by a pup. The female sea otter has reportedly given birth and was spotted Wednesday "far off the Santa Cruz coast, rolling and spinning in the kelp and waves with a little otter pup on her belly," reports the Los Angeles Times. "I couldn't believe it," said Mark Woodward, who's been documenting the otter for months and captured images of the pair on Tuesday. The birth might explain 841's confrontational behavior as "hormonal surges related to pregnancy have been known to cause aggressive behavior in female southern sea otters," a rep for the US Fish and Wildlife Service tells the Times.

"While wildlife biologists suspected sea otter 841 may [have been] pregnant earlier this year, they were unable to verify the pregnancy without capturing the sea otter to perform a full health evaluation," the rep adds. The otter repeatedly evaded capture over the course of the summer as officials with California's Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey Bay Aquarium sought to grab her with nets. Otter 841 was born at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to a mother, dubbed 723, who was captured after approaching people on the water, whom she'd learned to associate with feedings of squid and bait fish, the Guardian reports. Otter 841 was taught to be distrustful of humans and to seek out shellfish on her own before her release in 2020.

Though photos have spread, the US Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday that it was still awaiting confirmation of the pup after sending a person to the area. "There are currently no plans to attempt capture," noted the rep. This would be the third birth for 841. The first pup survived. The second, born this past spring, did not. "To help give sea otters and their pups the best chance at survival in the wild, it's important for members of the public to give them space, especially when recreating on the water," the FWS rep said. Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend also encouraged residents to give the otter "the space she deserves to raise our newest, and already famous, Santa Cruz County resident," per the Times. (More sea otter stories.)