A rescued sea otter is now fully integrated into the otter group at a renowned aquarium near Michigan.
Jade can be seen bonding and playing with the raft (the name for a group of otters) at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
“As Jade builds relationships with the other otters, she displays different behaviors with all of them,” officials said in a news release. “Jade and Luna can often be seen grooming one another or taking naps in felt ‘kelp’ strips, whereas Jade and Seldovia tend to exhibit more play behavior.”
In the video below, Jade can be seen playing with ice, diving into the water and bonding with the other four otters.
The full raft can sometimes be spotted spending time all together in the aquarium’s Abbott Oceanarium.
In the wild, sea otters form social groups, which help them stay warm and prevent individuals from drifting away when resting. Social behavior is an essential survival skill for wild otters.
Jade is training to be a surrogate mother to future pups and will teach them the social skills that she’s practicing now.
Southern sea otters are a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Rescued southern sea otter Jade is now fully integrated with the otter raft at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. She is seen here with Luna.Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
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