Otters might quite possibly be some of the most adorable animals on the planet. They’re playful, they’re smart, and those faces are just to die for! And when they’re babies? Forget about it — it’s cuteness overload!
Here are 60 baby otters that are so cute it’s impossible not to smile when you look at them.
And although otters are super duper adorable, they are threatened by pollution, poaching, and overfishing – so we all need to do our part in trying to protect them! Thankfully, there are lots of great aquariums and preservation groups that are able to help orphaned baby otters. Continue reading to see some very sweet photos of baby otters being their charming selves!
1) Mama hugs
Mama otters love their babies just as much as human mamas. This photo shows the bond that mom and baby have as she snuggles the little guy close to her chest as she floats on her back.
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Reddit
2) Happy baby!
This otter’s expression is just too adorable for words. They look super cute and comfy all cuddled up next to their teddy bear.
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Richard Austin
3) Just nappin’ and floatin’
Did you know that otter’s baby fur is so dense that it traps air and allows them to float on the water? Pretty cool, right? Their mom, however, needs to teach them how to swim and groom.
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Twitter
4) So many pups!
These sleeping baby otter pups in their nest is just about the sweetest thing we’ve seen all week. They’re so small and they look like they’re covered in velvet.
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Imgur
5) Such a curious little baby
Otters are very social creatures and love to play. This little guy looks like he wants to hop out of its enclosure to go romp around.
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Reddit
6) So much floof
This otter’s fluffy fur is giving him an adorably sad expression on his face. Did you know sea otters have fluffier pup fur than river otters? River otters tend to have a sleeker coat.
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Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
7) Sibling cuddles
These newborn otters will spend the first few weeks and months of their lives doing a lot of sleeping. But, boy is it sure cute!
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Santa Barbara Zoo/ Sheri Horiszny
8) It’s hard not to be a little jealous…
In this sweet photo a lucky girl gets to hang out with a baby otter who clearly just wants to be snuggled. Where can we sign up to cuddle baby otters?
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Reddit
9) How does that paw taste?
Just like a baby human, this baby otter is exploring and discovering their world via their mouth. Here, they’re discovering what their own little paw tastes like!
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Blackpool Zoo
10) How is it possible to be this cute?
Did you know there are 13 species of otters? Sadly, all of their populations are decreasing except for the North American River Otter.
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Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
11) Baby otter pile!
“The charismatic otter, a member of the weasel family, is found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Most are small, with short ears and noses, elongated bodies, long tails, and soft, dense fur,” says National Geographic.
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Reddit
12) Just hangin’ out
An otter doesn’t seem to mind just hanging out in this human’s arms as a photo is snapped. In fact, he looks pretty darn content!
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Reddit
13) Fluffy, soft sweetness
Sadly, many of the otters that end up in the care of humans were orphaned due to humans as well. It takes a team of professionals to help raise an otter without the guidance of their mom.
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Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
14) Just a baby and his bottle
“River otters are especially playful, gamboling on land and splashing into rivers and streams. They learn to swim when they are about two months old, when their mother pushes them into the water,” says Nat Geo.
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Marine World
15) What does a baby otter dream about?
There’s something about this little baby otter in this dog bed that just makes our hearts want to burst. Their face is one of the sweetest things we’ve ever seen.
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Facebook
16) Quite photogenic!
This floofy little baby looks like he’s posing for the camera with this precious face. It looks like he’s receiving some very good care from the rescuers.
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Vancouver Aquarium
17) What was that noise?!
It appears that this little baby was frightened by something! Was it a loud noise? Is it another animal in the room? We don’t know but the photo is priceless.
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Instagram
18) Those little paws!!
There really isn’t anything about this photo that isn’t off-the-charts adorable, right? Look at those little claws growing in on their paws! It’s too much.
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Reddit
19) Otter the Grouch
Oscar? Is that you? Or is it just the cutest baby otter ever with an Oscar the Grouch hat on? And once again…those paws!
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Reddit
20) Otters in a pan!
Did you know a group of otters in the water is called a raft? Out of the water, they’re called a romp, a family, or a bevy!
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Twitter
21) Oh, hi there!
“Otters can have up to one million hairs per square inch. There are two layers of fur—an undercoat and then longer hairs that we can see. The layers manage to trap air next to the otter’s skin, which keeps the otters dry and warm and also helps with buoyancy. Otter pups have so much air trapped in there, they actually can’t dive under water, even if they want to,” says Mental Floss.
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Yokohama Zoo
22) Nom, nom, nom!
This sweet otter is nursing on a bottle, which, sadly means that they’re mother is not around or able to feed them. It is difficult for humans to teach otters how to hunt and fish, but thankfully, otter moms are usually willing to adopt!
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Instagram
23) So much fur!
Is this otter holding a little caution cone because they’re dangerously cute?! Because that’s what it sure looks like.
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Vancouver Aquarium
24) Snug as a bug in a rug
Did you know river otters have no problem taking over empty dens? In fact, they’ll even move in anyway if there happen to be some friendly beavers.
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Reddit
25) A little ball of cuteness!
We don’t even know where to start with the cuteness level of this photo. There’s so much! The tail! The paws! The face! The ears!
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Reddit
26) So very small!
Fun otter fact: “Otters also have particularly stinky poop, which even has its own name: spraints. It’s thought to get its special odor, which some scientists describe as smelling like violets, from the seafood diet otters eat,” says National Geographic.
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Reddit
27) Is this an otter selfie?
Since otters are curious little creatures, it’s no wonder this one peered right into the lens as the photo was snapped. How irrresistible is this fluffy, furry face?
28) Hi, sweet otter baby!
“Most otter species come ashore to give birth in dens, which sometimes have been used by other animals such as beavers. Sea otters are the exception, giving birth in the water. Baby otters, called pups or kittens, stay with their mothers until they’re up to a year old, or until she has another litter,” says National Geopraphic.
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Seattle Aquarium
29) What is that thing?!
This baby otter is just a wee bit skeptical of that bottle thing over there. Thankfully, someone was there to snap an precious photo of the moment.
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Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
30) Exploring the land
This wild baby otter is starting to explore the world around them! This one is getting a sniff of something interesting on this log.
31) They like kisses too!
Who doesn’t love a sweet kiss from a loved one? These otter siblings sure do! Maybe they’re just grooming each other, but either way! So sweet!
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Reddit
32) That sweet face, though!
Could you imagine having this sweet face looking up at you every day? It would be dreamy! But it’s really important to know that otters, although adorable, are not pets.
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Reddit
33) Grumpy otter baby!
This otter’s hilariously cute face looks like he’s not the happiest camper. However, with those soft paws and fluffy belly, it sure makes us happy looking at the photo!
34) Boop!
We couldn’t be happier that someone had the camera ready when this little otter pup decided to come say hello! Look at that black little nose! You just want to boop it!
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Reddit
35) Baby otter on a scale
Fun fact: “In Bangladesh, otters help fisherman maximize their haul. For centuries, fisherman have been training otters to act as herders and chase large schools of fish into the nets,” says Mental Floss.
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Reddit
36) Do I scare you?
Is that a dangerous shark or a sweet, fluffy otter? By the looks of that precious little nose, we’re going to guess the latter. :)
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Reddit
37) Chubby little guy
Fun fact: “All otters are expert hunters that eat fish, crustaceans, and other critters. Sea otters have an ingenious method to open shellfish. A sea otter will float on its back, place a rock on its chest, then smash the mollusk down on it until it breaks open,” says Nat Geo.
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Reddit
38) Otter pup in a box
Did we mention that otters love to play? Like this little baby peeking it’s head out this box. Anyone want to play hide-and-seek?
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Reddit
39) Sleepy pups
If this photo of five sleeping otters spooning doesn’t make you smile, we don’t know what will.
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Reddit
40) Romping through the grass!
Here’s a baby otter that is just leaping around in the grass on a sunny day! Look at their little nose with the pink in the middle.
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Reddit
41) Are you even real?!
Fun fact: “Otter families are usually limited to pups and their mothers, and these duos will spend most of their time either feeding or sleeping. In the downtime, though, otters love to play and will often build themselves slides along the banks of rivers,” says Mental Floss.
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Reddit
42) All the cuddles, all the time!
One of the things that makes otters so cute is the way they hold things with their little paws that look like hands. Like this teddy bear, for example.
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Reddit
43) This is James
This little baby river otter is named James. Sadly, the poor baby was orphaned. Now, humans are doing their best to make sure the little pup is warm, comfy, and secure.
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Reddit
44) They’d like to have a word with you!
This adorable otter pup really has something to say and they aren’t going to be shy about it! And…as always…look at those paws!
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Reddit
45) Just an otter and their rubber ducky
When baby otters are suddenly found without a mom, they often find a little bit of comfort in a toy or a stuffed animal. For this small pup, it’s a tiny rubber ducky.
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Reddit
46) Learning things is hard
Baby otters are a lot like human babies in the fact that they really don’t know much. They have to be taught about a lot of things…like gravity!
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Reddit
47) Albino babies!
As if baby otters had to go and get any cuter, here we have a couple of albino otters. Those pink noses are too sweet and we can only imagine how adorable the pink paws are!
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Reddit
48) Teeniest, tiniest otter ever
Fun fact: “Otters are part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family of carnivorous mammals that includes skunks, weasels, wolverines and badgers. The sea otter is the largest member of the weasel family, yet the smallest marine mammal in North America,” says the U.S. Department of Interior.
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Reddit
49) Typical siblings
This photo looks like one sibling is annoying the other either by gnawing on their little ear or maybe they were just yelling something really loud.
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Reddit
50) Dreaming pups
Isn’t it so sweet how otters just like to pile on top of each other and take naps? It sure makes for some great photos.
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Reddit
51) Passed out
Fun fact: “Approximately 90 percent of the world’s sea otters live in coastal Alaska. Many live in the waters surrounding public lands including Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kenai Fjords National Park and Glacier Bay National Park. Southern sea otters range along the mainland coastline of California from San Mateo County to Santa Barbara County, and San Nicolas Island,” says the DOI.
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Reddit
52) Otter pup kisses!
Is it weird that we’re jealous that we’re not the ones getting the kiss? Because it looks awfully cute! Whether the other otter is into it, we’re no entirely sure.
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Reddit
53) You got somethin’ on your face
Fun fact: “Antarctica and Australia are the only two places in the world where they aren’t found. While they tend to live in the cooler waters, they have been known to reside where the water is warmer and the land is sandy,” says Otter World.
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Reddit
54) They look pretty darn happy
This otter’s stuffed animal also doubles as its nap spot and we gotta say – it looks pretty comfy! Just look how relaxed this little baby is.
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Reddit
55) Show your baby off, mom!
Fun fact: “An otter’s lung capacity is 2.5 times greater than that of similar-sized land mammals. Sea otters have been known to stay submerged for more than 5 minutes at a time. River otters, however, can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes. The increased time underwater improves otters’ opportunity to sense prey and forage for food,” says the DOI.
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Reddit
56) Newborn babies at the zoo
Here are some brand new otter pups that were just born at the Kansas City Zoo. How soft and cuddly do they look?!
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Reddit
57) True statement
This little otter’s hat is just too hilarious. Hilarious and very true.
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Reddit
58) Baby otter yawn
Fun fact/tip: “Otters have strong teeth and a powerful bite. So whether you see an otter on land or at sea, be sure to maintain a safe distance of at least 50 yards and never feed sea otters,” explains the DOI.
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Reddit
59) Double trouble
These baby otters are so small that two of them can fit in one person’s hand. Their faces are almost too precious to look at for too long.
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Reddit
60) That can’t taste good
This baby otter pup got a hold of some keys, they probably looked like a shiny abalone shell! But they most certainly don’t taste as good.
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Reddit
If you want to learn more about otters and some other fun facts, be sure to visit the U.S. Department of Interior’s website. Which was your favorite baby otter? Share this article on Facebook and let us know!
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