Featured Image Credit:
By Sarah Sharkey
Yaku the sea otter turned 18 earlier last month. The adorable sea otter shared his birthday with Katy Roxbury, an animal care specialist at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Roxbury helped Yaku celebrate in style with many decorations, clam paste and treats!
Happy Birthday Yaku!
At 18 years old, Yaku is considered old for a male sea otter. The average life span of a male sea otter is 10 to 15 years and the average life span of a female sea otter is 15 to 20 years. These life spans are estimates for sea otters that live their lives in the wild where things are expected to go wrong.
Yaku has already surpassed the expected age for a wild male sea otter, but that is not surprising. Animals that live in zoos and aquariums typically live longer for a variety of reasons. These include the fact that their food is given to them on a regular basis, they have no predators in their enclosures and a dedicated staff of veterinarians ensures that common illnesses do not affect these animals.
Overall, the safety of life in captivity should help to ensure that Yaku has many happy birthdays to follow this one.
Learn more from our source here.