Aquarium rescues orphaned otter pup, teaches it to how to be an otter

A week-old otter pup, named Pup 681, that was discovered alone on a California beach, has found a new home at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. (Video: Reuters)

Oh my goodness, it's a baby otter. An orphaned baby otter.

This little pup was found abandoned on a beach in California when someone walking along the shore heard her crying. She was only a week old and weighed just over two pounds.

She was taken to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where it was determined that she'd been away from her mother for at least 16 hours. Her condition was critical, and the aquarium staff spent four weeks stabilizing her and fattening her up.

Currently referred to only as Pup 681, she's now been transferred to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. She's still teeny tiny, weighing barely six pounds and measuring just over 22 inches long, but she's doing well.

Pup 681 still needs round-the-clock care, aquarium representatives wrote in a blog post. Six to eight experts will work on a rotating schedule to make sure she receives constant nurturing.

Instead of joining other otters in the visible part of the aquarium, she'll stay behind the scenes and learn how to groom, forage, and feed on her own. Aquarium staff will even have to help her learn to regulate her own body temperature, which otters do by getting in and out of the water as needed.

The aquarium reports that Pup 681 is taking formula from a bottle and eating solid foods like shrimp, and otherwise being utterly adorable.