Everyone was perplexed by a sea otter who appeared to spend an intimate moment with a little shark. Wildlife photographers Don Henderson and Alice Cahill captured the scene on camera off the coast of California.
The marine creature offers the baby shark a great embrace, as shown in the fantastic images. However, marine scientists aren’t sure if it was an embrace or if the otter was trying to eat anything. Regardless, the moment is incredible.
Though sea otters dive and carry marine creatures above the surface of the water to better enjoy their meals, this is the first time an otter has brought a shark to the surface of the ocean, because sharks are not on the menu of these fuzzy mammals. This adds to the fascination of the situation.
Sea Otter Savvy, which first released the photos, commented, “If you observe marine otters long enough, you will see a decent sampling of bottom-dwelling sea creatures raised to the surface due of hunger or curiosity.”
“We don’t know which was the case here, but these ‘awesome’ photos represent the first known record of a ‘foraging-like’ contact between a sea otter and this critter.”
While the otter’s true intentions regarding this little shark, might never be known, the pair eventually parted their ways after a few moments of cuddling.
“To my knowledge (and that of a group of colleagues), this is the first recorded horn shark catch by a sea otter,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Michael D. Harris stated.
“While there have been tales of sea otters catching skates and rays, this is the first time a shark has been reported.” Sea otters will eat fish, but this is a relatively uncommon sighting in California… But it’s difficult to determine what the otter was up to with it.”
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