‘Precious’ litter of baby critters welcomed at South Carolina zoo. See the fuzzy pups
A litter of tiny baby animals is calling a South Carolina zoo its new home, photos show.
John, a “fantastic” mother otter, gave birth to a litter of pups Jan. 20, according to a Feb. 7 Facebook post from the Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet. There are six babies in total, the zoo said.
The litter is made up of five “beautiful” females and one “handsome” male, according to the zoo.
“Each pup is a bundle of joy, and we can’t wait for you to meet them!” the zoo wrote.
The “precious” pups won’t be on full display at the zoo yet, as they need a few months to develop behind the scenes, according to the zoo. But more updates on their growth will come through “heartwarming snapshots and videos of these sweet otter pups,” the zoo said.
The new litter isn’t John’s first. The otter mom gave birth to a litter of five “healthy pups” at the beginning of 2022 during a winter storm, according to the zoo’s Facebook post welcoming them into the world. There were three girls and two boys, the zoo said.
As the bunch grew up, they eventually got to share some fun times swimming around with their mother. The litter made its debut at the zoo a few months after their birth, following their mother through the underwater exhibit, the zoo’s Facebook video from April 2022 showed.
River otters experience a pregnancy period of about two months, according to Seaworld Parks & Entertainment. They give birth usually once a year and can typically have from one to five babies in a litter.
The pups weigh about 4.6 ounces at birth, according to Seaworld. It takes about a month for baby otters to open their eyes, and their first swim comes at about eight weeks.
Murrells Inlet is about 15 miles southwest of Myrtle Beach.
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 5:11 PM with the headline "‘Precious’ litter of baby critters welcomed at South Carolina zoo. See the fuzzy pups."
