Taxi! Playful sea otter hitches a ride on kayaker’s boat in California bay
An adorable otter looks like it needed a break so it decided to hitch a ride on a kayak.
The kayaker captured the encounter in Morro Bay, California, as the otter made several failed attempts to jump on the boat.
It was eventually able to hop on, sit comfortably and enjoy the ride.
The kayaker who had been watching the otters play, was more than happy to offer a ride to his new friend.
A man was kayaking and watching the sea otters play in Morro Bay
The otter kept the kayaker company for some time before returning back into the water.
The kayaker said: ‘I was kayaking in Morro Bay, watching some sea otter play around when one of the group got comfortable and jumped up on my kayak to hang out for several minutes.’
Otters can be seen at Morro Bay anytime, as they choose it to give birth and raise their young ones.
Morro Bay attracts tourists and locals who want to see the otters in their natural habitat.
A friendly otter approached him and tried to jump on the boat a few times
Finally once the otter got comfortable, it was able to enjoy the ride with the kayaker
The California sea otter (Enhydra lutris) has been on the endangered species list since 1977, but their population has been growing after major conservation efforts.
While they are the most recently evolved marine mammals they were hunted to near extinction for their fur.
They have a number of characteristics that make them an easy target such as a very high demand for energy.
Otters spend a large portion of their time resting to conserve energy and they must consume as much as 25% of their body weight each day in order to stay warm and survive.
Sea otters are a ‘keystone’ species as they control sea urchin populations which would otherwise cause damage to kelp forest ecosystems.