Otterly adorable: Zoo Miami welcomes 3 river otter pups

MIAMI — Zoo Miami is celebrating three new arrivals, and the cuteness level is off the charts.

Zinnia, a North American otter who arrived at the South Florida attraction in April 2019, gave birth Feb. 5 to three pups, marking not only her first litter but the zoo’s first-ever delivery of the species, spokesman Ron Magill said in a news release.

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Magill also noted that Zinnia and her babies, who were born in a secluded den in the “Florida: Mission Everglades” exhibit, will remain in isolation for an unspecified amount of time to help the quartet “bond and grow,” The Associated Press reported.

According to the Miami Herald, Zinnia carried the pups, who are too young for gender to be determined, for two months. The pups’ father, 5-year-old Edison, arrived at Zoo Miami in October 2016.

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Meanwhile, Magill said Mom and Dad are separated so that Zinnia “can give them her undivided attention, which would normally be the case in the wild as the males do not participate in rearing the babies,” the Herald reported.

According to the AP, North American river otters, which are found in a variety of freshwater habitats across the United States and Canada, can grow to 4 feet in length and between 12 and 25 pounds.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Cox Media Group