Joining us for an otter themed day event? The Oregon Coast Aquarium celebrates International Sea Otter Day and Sea Otter Awareness Week every year. See below for general information, and join us closer to either day event for specifics about activities, talks, and more!
What's Going On?
Join us on Saturday, September 28th for Sea Otter Awareness day special otter chats, a behind the scenes peek at our otter habitats, and lots of other activities and tables throughout the Aquarium!
Otter Feed
10:30 - 10:45pm • Otter Exhibit
Otter Feed
1:00 - 1:15pm • Otter Exhibit
Mammals BTS Sneak Peek
1:15 - 2:00pm • Mammals Behind the Scenes Join us for a behind the scenes look into the world of our mammals! Behind the scenes access available by the large blue gate between our Outdoor Amphitheater and the Passages of the Deep exit.
Otter Feed – Special Foraging Feed
3:00 - 3:15pm • Otter Exhibit Watch our otters forage feed on main habitat, learn how our mammalogists use ethograms, and join in to record a sea otter’s dive and surface time!
Download an ethogram sheet ahead of time to follow along!
Discovery Zone Open
11:00 - 4:00pm • Discovery Zone Fun activities for tiny hands! You and your younger Aquarium visitors can join us for coloring sheets, activities, and more all centered around Sea Otter Day!
Behind the Scenes
Discovery Zone 11:00am - 4:00pm
Otter Habitat
Otterly Important
Although they may appear to be a simple ball of fuzz, sea otters are a “keystone” species that maintain the balance of marine ecosystems. By feeding on urchins, sea otters prevent the overgrazing of kelp—allowing kelp forests and their inhabitants to flourish. Best of all—they get a tasty meal out of it!
Otters at the Aquarium
The Aquarium’s three sea otters were rescued after being injured or abandoned as pups in California. “Sea otters were hunted near to extinction during the fur trade, and while their populations are slowly coming back in Alaska, Washington and California, we have not seen sea otters return to Oregon,” said Brittany Blades, Curator of Mammals at the Aquarium. “Sea Otter Awareness Day teaches people what they can do to help sea otters have a welcome home in Oregon. Come meet a mammalogist to ask all of your otter know questions!”
Learn firsthand how the Aquarium staff train, feed and care for Oswald, Schuster, and Earle during live presentations! You can enjoy during your next visit, or from the comfort of home via our live cameras. Or sign up for a behind the scenes tour and get a glimpse of what goes in to sea otter husbandry! Learn all about what goes into their care, from sustainably-sourced, restaurant-quality seafood preparation to the enormous collection of enrichment items that keep these mischievous marine mammals too busy to get into trouble.
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