Betty the sea otter, named after Betty White, has died
Betty, a southern sea otter and a popular, nearly lifelong resident of the Aquarium of the Pacific, died suddenly this week, despite her relatively young age and not having any known health problems.
Betty died on Thursday, and the Long Beach aquarium announced her death on Friday — adding that the facility's veterinary team and outside specialists will conduct an exam to figure out the cause of death.
She was 10 years old. Female southern sea otters can typically live 12to-18 years in the wild. But they can live more than 20 years in captivity, according to Brett Long, Aquarium of the Pacific's curator of marine mammals and birds.
Betty had not experienced any behavioral changes recently, the aquarium said in a statement announcing her death. She had been seen foraging and socializing with other otters in the habitat late the night before, Long said in an email. Aquarium staff found her early Thursday.
It could be awhile before the aquarium knows what caused Betty to die, since such investigations typically take six to eight weeks, Long said.
“In recent months Betty had been one of the otters helping several newly arrived rescued sea otter pups navigate life at the Aquarium in the Sea Otter Habitat,” Long said in a statement. “Betty was known for high-speed eating, particularly squid, and her adorable clapping behavior. She will be greatly missed.”
Betty had spent recent months has a sort of maternal figure for several rescued sea otter pups.
Betty shared her habitat with another female adult otter and three juveniles — all rescues.
The young otters, which are nearly at the age where they would normally wean from their mother, have been more vocal than normal since Betty died, Long said in an email. That's to be expected, he said, when otters are separated from one another.
But they and the other adult otter are eating well, Long said, and “appear to be adjusting.”
“Betty was an energetic and engaged otter and was often playing with various enrichment items in her habitat,” Long said in an email. “She took the young otters under her wing like a surrogate mom/aunt. She was attentive to the young pups.”
Betty was a pup herself when she came to the Aquarium of the Pacific — 9 to 10 weeks old.
She came to Long Beach after being rescued on Valentine's Day in 2012 off Del Monte Beach in Northern California on Valentine's Day.
Because she was orphaned so young, Betty had no survival skills and couldn't survive in the wild.
So in March 2012, Betty arrived at the Aquarium of the Pacific.
Southern sea otters live in the cold Pacific Ocean waters along California's central coast, from Half Moon Bay to near Santa Barbara. They are listed as a threatened species.
California's sea otters have grown from a population of 50 in 1938 to around 2,800 currently, according to the aquarium, which has seven other sea otters and helps in conservation efforts.
Betty died about seven months after her namesake — television icon Betty White.
Betty White, one of the stars of “Golden Girls” and other shows and films, was well-known for advocating for animal welfare. The celebrity celebrated her 90th birthday in 2012 by meeting her otter counterpart shortly after the pup arrived in Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific said.
Betty White died on Dec. 31. She was 99.