A rare sighting of a sea otter swimming just off southern California has scientists hoping it is a sign of a resurgence for creatures that were once hunted to near extinction.

The Orange County Register reported on Saturday that two employees of the Crystal Cove Alliance spotted the sea otter last week near Laguna Beach. They were so excited they immediately gave it a name: Ollie the otter.

Julianne Steers, director of husbandry at the Ocean Institute, told the newspaper it was possible that the mammals are returning to southern California because there is a food source there that they are chasing.

Steers also said there had been word of sightings off San Clemente and San Mateo.

A sea otter plays basketball at a Portland zoo. Guardian

Sea otters, which are hunted for food and clothing in some native American communities, were listed as an endangered species in 1973. A sighting off Laguna in 2011 was the first in three decades.