What Are You Doing Here, Furry Stranger?

Photo by Chanel Hason via Elakha Alliance; they write:

On rare occasions, a live sea otter can be spotted off the Oregon coast - like this adult male photographed in June 2024 in Cannon Beach, OR by Chanel Hason.

Does this mean sea otters are naturally repopulating Oregon? Unfortunately, no 😕. These sightings are typically lone males, most likely dispersing from the southern Washington population, the nearest established group to Oregon.

Male sea otters are known to travel long distances in search of new territory and potential mates. But without an established population of females here, they don’t stay long. Female sea otters tend to remain where resources are reliable, especially since they are often caring for pups and need consistent access to food. Until Oregon has a stable, reproducing population, these visiting males are just that - visitors 👋.