North American river otters born at Zoo Miami

MIAMI DADE COUNTY, Florida. – Zoo Miami welcomed three otter pups into the world on Tuesday.

“Zinnia,” a 5-year-old North American river otter, gave birth to three pups in the Florida: Mission Everglades exhibit at Zoo Miami, according to a press release.

This was announced by the zoo this is Zinnia’s second litter of babies.

According to Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill, the puppies underwent a quick newborn exam Wednesday morning to determine their gender and weight, and zoo staff performed a quick general physical exam to ensure they had a healthy start to their new ones have life.

According to the press release, Zinnia’s pregnancy lasted about two months, and the pups, one female and two males, were born in a secluded den.

Zinnia arrived at Zoo Miami in April 2019 from Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island, where she was born.

The 7-year-old father’s name is Edison and he arrived at Zoo Miami in October 2016 after being rescued as an orphan and hand-raised by a group called Wild Florida.

“North American river otters are extremely active and playful animals found in a variety of freshwater habitats throughout much of the United States and Canada. They can grow to be 3-4 feet long including the tail and typically weigh between 12 and 25 pounds, with males growing slightly larger than females. “In the wild, they live about 10 years, but can live twice as long under human care. Not only are they fast, agile swimmers, but they can also run up to 24 km/h on land.”