Sea Otter Awareness Week Sep. 23, 2024

Sea Otter Awareness Week

This week is Sea Otter Awareness Week, an event that draws attention to these fluffy floating mammals. The otter featured in today"s image was photographed in Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States. Sea otters are native to the northern and eastern coasts of the North Pacific Ocean. Weighing 14 to 45 kilograms, they"re expert foragers, diving to the seabed to find food. These clever critters are smart as well as cute: they use rocks to crack open shellfish, making them one of the few animals that use tools. There used to be as many as 300,000 in the wild, but they were heavily hunted for almost two centuries, as their dense fur was highly prized.

© Gerald Corsi/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jellies in a world of their own
Sep. 23, 2023Nuit Blanche Toronto
Sep. 23, 2025Keel-billed toucan, Costa Rica

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul. 1, 2024Canada Day
Oct. 25, 2025Martimoaapa Mire Reserve, Finland
Nov. 10, 2023Badlands National Park anniversary
Jun. 30, 2024Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Sharks, just living their lives
A bevy of buzzers
Dec. 3, 2023Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Jan. 16, 2025Pinnacles National Park, California, United States
Spring is the time for billing
Nov. 23, 2024Fibonacci Day
Jan. 23, 2025Sundance Film Festival
May 25, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Rainbow around the sun
Nov. 5, 2025Peña Roya beech forest, Moncayo Natural Park, Aragon, Spain
A window to the Pacific
Dec. 24, 2023Christmas Eve
Creating a better world
You can take a refreshing dip here any day of the year
Wind-powered ice racing
Two hungry baby beavers
Sep. 30, 2023Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Sep. 12, 2023North Sea at sunset, Norddorf, Germany
Oct. 16, 2023Golden larches and Prusik Peak, Enchantments, Washington
Fly me to the moon
Jul. 24, 2024Cousins Day
A pink moon over Arizona
Feb. 19, 2025European river otter
Jun. 12, 2025Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States
May 16, 2025Endangered Species Day
Keyholes to the kingdom