Three male otter pups made their public debut at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Friday, WKYC reported.
Zoo officials said the pups were born on Sept. 24 to Bitzy and Kibble.
Baby otters are born with their eyes closed and need a few weeks to learn how to swim, meaning they'll be ready to join their parents, Bitzy and Kibble, on exhibit in The RainForest in the coming weeks. The zoo now has seven otters, WKYC reported..
The pups are Asian small-clawed otters, which are indigenous to Asia. They're one of the smaller species of otters and have hand-like paws, WKYC reported. They're listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
"We were aware Bitzy was pregnant based on body weight and body shape," the zoo's animal curator Tad Schoffner told Newsweek in an email. "The otters are given their privacy and typically staff does not even know for a few days that there was a birth because the parents tend to be very protective when the pups are in their most vulnerable state."
The three pups have yet to be named, and they still weigh less than a pound, Newsweek reported. A zookeeper saw the pups playing with one another just Thursday, indicating they're developing well so far.
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