

In Monterey, Calif., where the conditions are perfect for adorable wildlife and tourism to both thrive, a wild mother sea otter was spotted last week floating near the Monterey Bay Aquarium with a pup resting gently on her belly. For a moment — at least 36 seconds out of everyone's day — this baby otter was all anybody could think about:



"Our SORAC program has been studying and trying to save the threatened southern sea otter since 1984, so we were thrilled by this visit!" The aquarium wrote in the about section of the video captured by staffer Alyssa Penacho's last week. When asked to comment one local tastemaker said via gchat, "OMFG that is too cute for me to handle right now." San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, meanwhile, was in Washington, D.C. and could not be reached.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to check in on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's indoor otters, who are mostly rescues, there's a livestream for that as well:





Live streaming video by Ustream

[Monterey Bay Aquarium]