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Capers, an orphaned male sea otter pup who was rescued and rehabilitated in Alaska, made his media debut at his temporary home–Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium– Thursday, July 13, 2006. He was brought to his permanent home at the Minnesota Zoo in December 2006, but will not be on exhibit until 2008.
Capers was just two weeks old when he was spotted alone in Kachemak Bay on May 29, 2006. His mother was found deceased nearby of unknown causes. He was immediately taken to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward where he was cared for by rehabilitation staff. He was transferred to the Shedd Aquarium on June 30, 2006 and spent the summer being cared for by aquarium staff before arriving at his new home in Minnesota. Shedd Aquarium also sent a companion for Capers, an older female called "Kachemak" to provide Capers a playmate and to teach him how to be an otter. At this time, Capers is inquisitive, healthy, playful, and eating well. Minnesota Zoo staff work with Capers and Kachemak daily, feeding, training, watching their behaviors and monitoring progress. Capers will eventually live in the Zoo’s new exhibit, Russia’s Grizzly Coast, set to open in 2008.
Sea otters, found in the Pacific Ocean, eat 20-25% of their weight daily. Unlike other marine mammals, they lack blubber to keep them warm and instead rely on their supercharged metabolism and dense fur to survive in the near-freezing waters. The have the thickest fur in the animal kingdom: one million hairs per square inch! (Humans, by comparison, carry about 100,000 hair follicles on their head). They can quickly die from hypothermia if their fur becomes matted or soiled with oil or other pollutants, which is why they meticulously groom for several hours daily. Sea otters are the only mammals besides primates to use tools. Floating on their backs, they will vigorously hammer a mussel or clam against a rock on their chests to pry the meal open. Fur traders nearly drove sea otters to extinction in the 19 th century. The species is listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
Watch Video of Capers at the Shedd Aquarium (from July 2006)
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