Тread Softly, My Heart is Broken

and now he can dance Nuo opera forever in eternity

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Today is all about raising awareness and supporting the conservation of the 13 different species of otters around the world. 

We’re sea-lebrating by sharing some of our favorite things about our iconic southern sea otters!

🦦Our resident southern sea otters Ivy, Ruby, Opal, and Selka are ambassadors for their species! They delight guests with their playful personalities and acrobatic antics live at the Aquarium and on our Sea Otter Cam.

🦦 Beyond our exhibit, our rescue and rehabilitation work with southern sea otters has been central to the Aquarium’s mission to inspire conservation of the ocean for over 40 years. 

🦦 This threatened species plays an invaluable role in helping marine ecosystems thrive, like the kelp forests and wetlands here in Monterey Bay and along the coast of California.

🦦 The southern sea otter is a keystone species, which means that the health of sea otter populations reflects the health of other species and ecosystems nearby. 

🦦 Research shows that southern sea otters maintain and restore these critical ecosystems, protecting biodiversity and strengthening our natural defenses against the impacts of a changing climate, like rising sea levels.

🦦 Sea otters also depend on the health of these ecosystems for their survival. Just like this keystone species, you are an important part of the delicate balance that keeps our oceans healthy!

It’s up to all of us to ensure the safety of this threatened species.

This World Otter Day, join our raft of donors and support our work with southern sea otters! Your gift, large or small, will help advance our sea otter research, conservation, and education initiatives.

Ivy helps Willow grow to new heights. 🌿☀️

Before new otters Suri and Willow joined our exhibit, the pair spent several weeks settling behind-the-scenes with our attentive animal care team. 

While Suri jumped into new waters with confidence, cautious Willow was slower to warm up to her new home. But the moment she met Ivy, Willow’s confidence bloomed! 💚🌷 At 14, Ivy is currently our oldest (and blondest!) exhibit otter. Her mature, mellow presence helped Willow relax. From then on, acclimating to her new home was a breeze.  🌬️

Willow’s already branched out after her first few weeks on exhibit. She’s spending more time with lively youngster Opal, while Suri’s totally captivated by confident and clever Selka. Their care team has even noticed Suri mimicking her new mentor!

In the wild, southern sea otters like ours live in social groups called rafts, floating through the waves with fellow female companions of many different ages and temperaments. 🦦 The ever-changing relationships between our non-releasable otters give us humans a rare and precious peek at the unique social dynamics of this beloved species. Willow, Ivy, Suri, Selka, and Opal are all on exhibit together now. Otter spotters, have you noticed any fun interactions between them on exhibit or the Sea Otter Cam? 👀 Tell us in the comments!

I'm happy 🥺❤ Terrified do the very core of my soul as well actually, because this story will kill me for sure, but I'm happy ♥

Xu Haiqiao as Shen Jinghong, Legend of Zhuohua