May 29, 2025 – Every last Wednesday in May marks World Otter Day, established by the non-profit organization International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) with the aim of raising awareness for otter conservation efforts worldwide and highlighting their survival status. This year, World Otter Day fell on May 28, which was yesterday.
Among the various members of the otter family, one of the most familiar to people is the sea otter – the viral sensation known for its love of floating on its back, often holding onto a rock, and even holding hands while sleeping. However, due to human overfishing, hunting, and habitat destruction, this adorable creature has been classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In an enviable encounter, a fisherman in California recently struck a fascinating friendship with a wild sea otter. The sea otter not only swam towards the fisherman but also specifically brought out its treasured rock to share with him. This heartwarming gesture had numerous netizens exclaiming, “This treatment is simply too dreamy!”
The fisherman opportunistically captured this moment on camera and shared it on his social media account. In the video, he can be seen working on the dock when the cute sea otter suddenly swam over, its big watery eyes fixed on him, appearing completely unafraid.
Even more astonishingly, the otter delicately placed the rock it carried with it on the dock, seemingly inviting its human friend to admire its beloved treasure, as if saying, “See how beautiful my rock is!”
The fisherman, being tactful, picked up the rock to examine it, even conducting a “tap test” on the floor to assess its quality. Throughout this interaction, the otter wandered by the shore, joyfully spinning in the water, and only retrieved the rock after the human had finished admiring it before contentedly leaving the scene.
Though this brief and magical encounter left the fisherman thrilled, it also captivated online audiences. Viewers expressed admiration, with comments like, “Oh my, if an otter showed me its most beloved rock, I would faint on the spot!”, “Wow, you are the chosen one”, “This otter is so spiritual”, and “It’s so delightful to see otters up close like this; I can only observe them through glass at the aquarium.”
It’s indeed fortunate for the fisherman, as stones hold significant meaning for otters, marine mammals that typically feed on hard-shelled prey such as crabs, lobsters, sea urchins, and mollusks. Unable to break these shells with their teeth, resourceful otters use stones as tools to crack them open.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sea otters have a looser patch of skin under their forelimbs, acting as a “natural pocket” to store food or conveniently keep stones for later use. Additionally, otters are selective about their stones, carefully choosing the most suitable ones as tools.
Margherita Bandini, deputy chair of the IUCN Otter Specialist Group and an animal behavior researcher, speculates that the otter’s behavior can also be interpreted as follows: “Perhaps it initially intended to climb onto the dock but set the stone down first to avoid losing it, only to later change its mind.”
Regardless of the true intentions behind the otter’s actions, its adorable behavior leaves a lasting impression on all who witness it!