Meet the Tennessee Aquarium’s new otterly adorable resident, Sunshine.
Sunshine is the first female to live at the aquarium’s River Otter Falls exhibit in its 31 years of operation. She will join the five other male otter residents — Hunter, Digger, Benny, Louie, and Maya.
The male otters came to the aquarium after being rescued or relocated from the wild.. Because of their origins, their genetics are unrepresented among the population of North American river otters living in human care — making them “highly valued potential breeding partners.”
With the arrival of Sunshine, the aquarium is hopeful their campus may become the home to a new generation of otter pups.
In the meantime, you can see Sunshine + the other otters swimming through the exhibit’s many pools and underwater tunnels the next time you’re at the aquarium. Bonus: You can also see what the otters are up to on a livestream.
