Zoo Miami is celebrating the birth of three North American river otter pups.
The babies were born on February 5 and were being well looked after by their first-time mother Zinnia, the zoo’s communication director, Ron Magill, said.
Zinnia and her pups, who were born in a secluded den in the Florida: Mission Everglades exhibit, will remain isolated behind the scenes to ensure they have minimal disturbances while they bond and grow.
The pups are the first of the species to be born at the zoo, and Mr Magill said it was too early to determine their genders.
Their mother Zinnia arrived at Zoo Miami from the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island where she was born.
While the pups’ father, five-year-old Edison, came to the zoo in October 2016 after being rescued as an orphan and hand-raised by a group called Wild Florida, according to the press release.
Edison is separated from Zinnia and the pups, which is also the case in the wild, Mr Magill said, as males do not participate in rearing babies.
North American river otters are found in a variety of freshwater habitats throughout much of the US and Canada.
They can grow up to 1.2 metres (4ft) and typically weigh between 5.4kgs (12lbs) and 11.3kgs (25lbs).
