Cute pictures show otter family keeping cosy as pup relaxes on mum’s tummy
The sweet pics are especially rare as most sea otters are quite shy with their babies, while this pair were completely relaxed
A LOVING mum gives her chilly pup a warm hug — just to make him a little ’otter.
The mother had lifted her little ’un on to her tum before keeping him cosy with a cuddle.
Nature photographer Suzi Eszterhas, 40, said the mum even blew on his fur to groom it.
The pair were spotted with other southern sea otters in a harbour at Monterey Bay, California.
Suzi said: "Most sea otter mothers are quite shy with their babies, but this mother was very habituated to people and she was very relaxed as she lovingly raised her pup in a busy harbour.
"Sometimes, she swam right up to the dock and left her pup floating on the water's surface right in front of me while she foraged for food.
"She did this so many times; it made me feel like a babysitter. It was adorable and it also really showed how vulnerable and trusting wild animals can be."
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Suzi used a long lens to photograph the cute pair so they wouldn't be disturbed.
There are close to 3,000 sea otters living along the California coast. All of them are descended from a colony of 50 first discovered in 1938.