Chester Zoo is celebrating the perfect Christmas present - the birth of five baby otters.

The adorable quintet, three girls and two boys, arrived just in time to enjoy the festive fun.

It is not yet known which breed of otters the babies belong to, as the zoo is home to both Asian short-clawed and Giant otters.

But zoo bosses said in a Facebook post that all five were given a clean bill of health during their first ever check-up.

And a set of pictures of the pups they shared online have gone down a treat with animal lovers, with many suggesting Christmas-themed names for the new arrivals.

Sandra Hanley wrote: "My son suggests the boys should be called Biscuit and Nutcracker and the girls should be Haribo, Lollipop and Prosecco because it's Christmas."

Sarah Losty added: "Please name one Gin-gle a nod to the time of year and what a lot of mums and dads will also be drinking this afternoon after being up since the crack of dawn if anything like my little 1"

And Jenny Perry suggested: "What will you name them ? Noel , Holly, Tinsel, Pudding and Santa ?"

It's not the first time Chester Zoo has managed to increase its otter population.

In May last year, the five Asian short-clawed otter pups were born to mum Annie and dad Wallace.

The four girls and a boy were said to be in 'tip top condition' after a health check and described as 'feisty little characters' by zookeeper Hannah Sievewright.

Asian short-clawed otters are listed by conservationists as vulnerable to extinction and face increasing threats to their survival in the wild.

Chester zoo has helped fund research and conservation projects in Cheshire which are monitoring and safeguarding threatened native otter populations – distant relatives of the Asian short-clawed species.