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“Zinnia,” a 7-year-old North American river otter, gave birth to three pups in the Florida: Mission Everglades exhibit at Zoo Miami on Wednesday, Feb. 12. This is Zinnia’s third litter.
Two days later, the Animal Health and Animal Science teams performed a quick neonatal exam to determine the sex of the pups as well as get weights while also using a clipper to shave certain areas for identification purposes. The genders were determined to be one male and two females, and initial indications are that they were in good health.
After a pregnancy of approximately two months, the pups, weighing between 164 and 168 grams, were born in a secluded den where they are being well cared for by Zinnia. She arrived at Zoo Miami in April 2019 from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island where she was born. Zinnia and the pups were to remain isolated behind the scenes for a still-to-be-determined amount of time to ensure that mother and babies have minimal disturbances while they bond and grow.
The 9-year-old father’s name is “Edison,” and he arrived at Zoo Miami in October 2016 after being rescued as an orphan and hand-raised by a group called Wild Florida. He is presently separated from Zinnia and the pups so that she can give them her undivided attention which would normally be the case in the wild as the males do not participate in rearing the babies.
North American river otters are extremely active and playful animals that are found in a variety of freshwater habitats throughout much of the U.S. and Canada. They can grow to 3 to 4 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 feed on a variety of aquatic life such as fish, frogs, and crustaceans, as well as eggs, reptiles, birds and small mammals. They can stay under water for several minutes and have a thick protective fur to insulate them against cold temperatures. They are perfectly adapted for semi-aquatic life with a slender body, a long flat and powerful tail, and short legs with webbed feet. In addition to being quick agile swimmers, they are also capable of running up to 15 mph on land.
Though their populations were threatened decades ago mainly due to trapping for the fur trade, their biggest threat today is due to habitat loss and pollution.
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