LunaAtlas
29794
1069
15
During a keeper talk at the San Diego Zoo, visitors gather as the otters are brought closer for a better look. One mother waddles up to the glass and proudly shows off her baby, instantly drawing “aww” reactions from the crowd.
Moments later, the father joins in, but instead of another baby, he presents a small, smooth rock, holding it like it’s something valuable. He looks around as if expecting the same attention, and the keeper jokes that he’s basically trying to join the moment with his own “show and tell,” since otters sometimes get attached to favorite objects.
The baby wins hearts, but the dad’s rock ends up stealing the biggest laugh
Yellowchopsticks
I mean, people hold up their babies to the zoo windows all the time.
VonSnootingham
"Only one may live. The other is thrown into the volcano to appease our god. You must choose, human! Choose now!"
dogmatix
"See this rock? Wanna know how often it wakes me up in the middle of the night? Wanna know how many times it has puked on my shoulder? I fuckin' LOVE this rock!"
taez555
TakuanSoho
"And I shall slam your skull, like a rock on my tummy !
MagnumRadhard
Priorities....
raisedonadrywell
This is, in some way, tragic.
CrimeSceneShoe
Its AI, so yeah
Frogspoison
Kevin, get the fire extinguisher!
CaptainFubs
I understood that reference
rodeojumpinspiderclowns8
So otters have dad jokes too
SacrificialClam
Thats a fuckin awesome rock
Jaqdakloun
I mean, it is a pretty cool rock
shanasphone350
That rock is special. Kids will grow up and blaze their own trail (as they are supposed too) and leave home. That rock will be with him forever. Two sides of a coin.
GeorgeCostabaplaps
"This is my child, and this is the family rock. It has guided us through many seasons, we are blessed by its strength and capacity for violence." - Otterman Empire
circlebreaker
SIMBA!
Basehex
Remember, love fades away but things last forever -Tom Haverford
boobsalot
Yeah, things like alimony.
ironymus
In the world of otters a good rock is very valuable to get to the tasty inside of scallops and other hard shelled seafood
SalmonTheWise
These are river otters though. They don't do that.
Subsound
Its a cool rock
johnblood616
I find otters creepy. The way they undulate. And DO NOT look up what otters do to baby seals.
CrimeSceneShoe
Only sea otters do that. These are Asian Small Clawed otters and they are river otters, have nothing to do with seals.
johnblood616
Whatever makes sense
toon1422
Can we get a better look at that rock?
akafluffy
Are they like penguins who give rocks in courting, so he's showing off his wedding ring?
oprahslovechild
Wasn’t this image proven to be AI?
dentros1
Mom shows off baby, dad showing off his high quality tools.
Groovechild
That's a pretty cool rock.
boxak
I’d be pretty jazzed if I had a rock like that…
Irrevenant
Look how round it is.
theyallwenttoMexico
😊👍
queernosaur
AI is bumming me out so much
LunaAtlas
queernosaur where is the ai?
queernosaur
Where is the original source?
bamblebimble
It's not ai, the full images have the keeper in them
queernosaur
Otters do not hold their babies like this + I haven't found a reliable first-hand source for this image anywhere
CrimeSceneShoe
How does that make it not AI?
CrimeSceneShoe
If this is real, I would think the otter's been trained to do it, mother otters usually hold their babies in their mouth by the scruff of their necks.
ZOMGNO
it looks like AI
mercyPandaRunner
Would explain the blurry picture. Hides artifacts.
woozle
I read that they hold on to their favorite rock for years
mercyPandaRunner
Different species. That's sea otters with the rock pocket. These fellas here are asian short clawed otters.
Jewdakris
The kid is gonna leave the rock is forever
boobsalot
Yeah, they actually have a pouch. They keep it in. It’s a special rock for breaking open the oysters.
CrimeSceneShoe
Uh not exactly. Sea otters (not river otters as we see in this pic) have loose folds of skin located under each forearm/armpits that function a bit like a pouch.
mercyPandaRunner
These are asian short clawed otters. They are easily identified by their short, pug like, snout and high forehead... and them being super tiny and living in big groups.
River otter can refer to two different species. The morth american river otter (boopy nose. Like seriously) or the southern river otter (more delicate, triangular nose. Less boopy nose)
CrimeSceneShoe
Asian small clawed otters are classified a river otters. In fact they are the smallest species of river otter in the world.
mercyPandaRunner
??? How does this classification work? Because it is definitely not phylogenetic.
boobsalot
Ah well I'm still right, just not about these River otters. I'll go back to lurking .
CharlesTooke
Mussels. And you're fine right here with the rest of us, Boobs.
5v4297j9fj1
Humans do exactly the same but with other things
pullingsixty
I've got rocks in my garden that I inherited/stole from my parents when they passed away.
haggerton
Even rocks. Usually shiny ones but still.
nclu
My wife proudly displays the rock I gave her over a decade ago
LateNightBunnyParty
But also sometimes the same things. I have a multi-generational collection of rose rocks in a bowl on a shelf. You can find them in various places around Oklahoma, including near creeks in the forest I and my dad both grew up in.
thejon
That's awesome! If kids are in your future, I sincerely hope you can continue the tradition with them! I would love to have something like that to share with my own kids...guess I have to start my own tradition!
LateNightBunnyParty
My kids are both adults with their own local rose rock collections, yep!
LateNightBunnyParty
(Including a few from previous generations, of course.)
CharlesTooke
I can picture your bowl of rocks in my mind.
LateNightBunnyParty
Stays crunchy in milk