Everyone was perplexed by a sea otter who appeared to spend an intimate moment with a little shark. Wildlife photographers Don Henderson and Alice Cahill captured the moment on camera off the coast of California.
The marine creature offers the baby shark a great hug, as seen in the fantastic images. However, marine scientists aren’t sure if it was an embrace or if the otter was trying to eat something. Regardless, the moment is incredible!
Though sea otters dive and carry marine creatures above the surface of the water to better enjoy their meals, this is the first time an otter has brought a shark to the surface of the ocean, because sharks are not on the menu of these furry mammals. This adds to the fascination of the situation.
“If you watch sea otters long enough you will see a reasonable sample of bottom-dwelling sea life brought to the surface out of hunger or curiosity,” Sea Otter Savvy, which initially shared the snaps, wrote. “We are not sure which was the case here but these ‘jaw-dropping’ images are the first known record of a ‘foraging-like’ interaction between a sea otter and this creature.”
While the exact intentions of the otter toward this small shark may never be known, the two eventually parted ways after a few moments of hugging!
Michael D. Harris of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said, “To my knowledge (and a group of colleagues), this is the first documented horn shark capture by a sea otter. There are reports of sea otters capturing skates and rays, but this is the first report of a shark. Sea otters will feed on fish, but it’s a very rare observation in California…but it is really is hard to say what the otter was doing with it.”
