Zoo Miami just welcomed 3 of the cutest animals. Just don't swim with them. Take a look
The attraction welcomed a new litter of the adorable, semi-aquatic animal — the North American River Otter — on Wednesday.
Zinnia, a 7-year-old river otter, gave birth to three pups in the Florida: Mission Everglades exhibit, her third litter. The pups, which don't have names yet, were determined to be one male and two females after a quick neonatal exam and a delicate shave.
Zinnia was pregnant for about two months, and her babies weighed about 6 ounces. The family will remain isolated and behind the scenes for a while so they're not disturbed by zoo visitors as they bond and grow, according to the zoo.
The 9-year-old father's name is Edison, and he came to Zoo Miami in October 2016 after being rescued as an orphan and hand-raised by Wild Florida. Zinnia arrived at Zoo Miami in April 2019 from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island where she was born. Edison has been separated from his children, as is the case in the wild.
North American river otters are extremely active and playful animals that can be found in freshwater habitats throughout the U.S. and Canada. They can grow to three to four feet long, including the tail, and usually weigh between 12 and 25 pounds, with the males getting slightly larger than the females. In the wild, they live around 10 years but can live twice that long under human care.
They can stay under water for several minutes and have a thick protective fur to insulate them against cold temperatures. Apart from being agile swimmers, they can run up to 15 mph on land. Though their populations were threatened decades ago, mainly due to trapping for the fur trade, their biggest threats today are habitat loss and pollution.
But don't try to swim with an otter. Although they're cute, river otters can be vicious and nasty when confronted by humans.
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