Sea otter, Alaska, USA Sep 23, 2024

The otter featured in today"s image was photographed in Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States. Sea otters are native to the northern and eastern coasts of the North Pacific Ocean. Weighing 14 to 45 kilograms, they"re expert foragers, diving to the seabed to find food. These clever critters are smart as well as cute: they use rocks to crack open shellfish, making them one of the few animals that use tools. There used to be as many as 300,000 in the wild, but they were heavily hunted for almost two centuries, as their dense fur was highly prized. By 1911, it is thought that only around 2,000 were left. Thankfully, an international hunting ban, conservation efforts, and reintroduction programs have helped them rebound, and they are now found in about two-thirds of their historic habitat. So, whenever you see their fuzzy heads bobbing in the waves, remember, you"re witnessing a story of nature"s triumph.

© Gerald Corsi/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 23, 2023Coyote Gulch, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah, USA
Sep 23, 2025Keel-billed toucan, Costa Rica

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 10, 2024The city of Osaka at night, Japan
Aug 17, 2025Lyngvig Lighthouse, Hvide Sande, Denmark
Oct 8, 2025Octopus cyanea
Jan 1, 2026Arctic fox
Oct 23, 2025Snow leopards, India
Aug 31, 2023Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona, USA
Jun 23, 2025Elbe river in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Aug 14, 2025Piz Nair mountain, Switzerland
Mar 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
Nov 3, 2025Jellyfish, Guerrero, Mexico
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Jun 15, 2024Surfer riding a wave in Nazaré, Portugal
Jul 20, 2025Photo of the moons surface through a telescope
Nov 5, 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
Jan 10, 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee at sunrise, Zermatt, Switzerland
Nov 20, 2023Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, South Wales
Jun 25, 2025St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
Mar 15, 2025The Temple of Saturn, Rome, Italy
Jun 6, 2025Common pheasant, Normandy, France
Jan 31, 2026Plains zebras, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Dec 6, 2023Dardagna waterfalls, Bologna, Italy
Jun 8, 2024Confluence of Easter Creek and Killik River, Alaska, USA
Mar 31, 2024A great egret in the Pantanal
May 31, 2025Knuthöjdsmossen nature reserve, Sweden
Apr 3, 2024Rainbow across the Kakshaal Too mountains, Kyrgyzstan
Sep 27, 2023French River, Ontario, Canada
Oct 1, 2023Lake Bled, Slovenia
Jan 31, 2024Burchells zebras
Nov 9, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Oct 24, 2024Bodie State Historic Park, California, United States