Otter-ly adorable! Heartwarming moment a mother embraces her fluffy one-day-old pup as they float together downstream

This adorable footage, taken just one day after the fuzzy brown pup was born, shows the mother grooming her baby and fluffing the pup's thick pelt to keep the newborn warm and able to float.

She also wraps her paws around the delicate pup and, at one point, lifts her above her head as she snuggles into the back of her neck.

Sea otters are a keystone species, meaning their role in their environment has a greater effect than other species. As predators, sea otters are critical to maintaining the balance of the near-shore kelp ecosystems. Without sea otters, the undersea animals they prey on would devour the kelp forests off the coast that provide cover and food for many other marine animals.


Additionally, sea otters indirectly help to reduce levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a prevalent greenhouse gas, as kelp forests play an important role in capturing carbon in coastal ecosystems