Sea Otters: Spring Birth

music
ambience: sea otters and ocean sounds

As winter draws to a close, sea otters off the coast of California are giving birth to their new pups. It’s a difficult time for newborn otters, and harsh ocean conditions work against a young pup’s chances for survival. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Andy Johnson helps rehabilitate injured and abandoned sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

“The late winter and spring for sea otters is the time when females usually give birth. These animals have a very tough existence. The mother has to dedicate almost constant attendance, uh, twenty -four-hour care to feed and groom the pup. Something on the nature of fifty percent of those pups won’t make it to their first year of life – so, quite a high mortality rate with pups that are born in the Spring.”

A small percentage of sea otter pups die at birth. Others are eaten by predators. But biologist Andy Johnson says most of the pups that don’t survive, are lost because of rough ocean conditions on the Pacific in the early spring.

“Often times in the late Winter and Spring, we do see a lot of storms that bring in high surge, high swell, with the ocean conditions, and potentially a lot of the pups just get separated from their mother. As you might imagine, the mothers have to dive to obtain food, and they leave the pups at the surface. And this leaves them open to being caught by a large wave and maybe carried in towards shore. The mother might come up and not be able to find the pup… in which case the pup is on its own.”

A California sea otter pup which has been separated from its mother stands little chance of survival — unless it’s been rescued by biologists like those at the Monterey Aquarium’s Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program. Even then, a reintroduced pup has only about a fifty percent chance of making it to adulthood.

Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science for 200 years, with additional support provided by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.

music

Sea Otters: Spring Birth

For sea otter pups in the Pacific ocean the challenges of survival begin at birth.
Air Date:03/01/2002
Scientist:
Transcript:


music
ambience: sea otters and ocean sounds

As winter draws to a close, sea otters off the coast of California are giving birth to their new pups. It's a difficult time for newborn otters, and harsh ocean conditions work against a young pup's chances for survival. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Andy Johnson helps rehabilitate injured and abandoned sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

"The late winter and spring for sea otters is the time when females usually give birth. These animals have a very tough existence. The mother has to dedicate almost constant attendance, uh, twenty -four-hour care to feed and groom the pup. Something on the nature of fifty percent of those pups won't make it to their first year of life - so, quite a high mortality rate with pups that are born in the Spring."

A small percentage of sea otter pups die at birth. Others are eaten by predators. But biologist Andy Johnson says most of the pups that don't survive, are lost because of rough ocean conditions on the Pacific in the early spring.

"Often times in the late Winter and Spring, we do see a lot of storms that bring in high surge, high swell, with the ocean conditions, and potentially a lot of the pups just get separated from their mother. As you might imagine, the mothers have to dive to obtain food, and they leave the pups at the surface. And this leaves them open to being caught by a large wave and maybe carried in towards shore. The mother might come up and not be able to find the pup... in which case the pup is on its own."

A California sea otter pup which has been separated from its mother stands little chance of survival -- unless it's been rescued by biologists like those at the Monterey Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program. Even then, a reintroduced pup has only about a fifty percent chance of making it to adulthood.

Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science for 200 years, with additional support provided by the National Science Foundation. I'm Jim Metzner.

music