Sea Otters Are Swiping Surfboards Again

It appears the "surfboard-stealing otter" has returned to Santa Cruz. A 21-year-old surfer named Isabella Orduna felt a "nip" on the foot Wednesday at the surf spot Steamer Lane and emerged from the water to see a "big, fuzzy, chunky bear of an otter" atop her board, refusing to budge, she told the New York Times. A local marine safety officer eventually managed to retrieve the board and escort Orduna to shore. No injuries were reported—Orduna said the nip didn't break skin—but the incident underscores a growing trend of curious and bold otters disrupting surfers in the area.

Two years ago, officials tried and failed to capture one particular otter, dubbed 841, who'd made a habit of stealing surfboards. She later gave birth and "traveled up the coast," per the Times, leading officials to suspect her aggression was tied to pregnancy-related hormones. Photographer Mark Woodward, who's documented the otter for years, tells Smithsonian there's been "at least one incident a day" since Orduna's encounter. "There's a possibility it's 841, but I've heard from authorities that they believe she chewed off her ID tag/tracking device," he adds. Sea otters are known to lose their fear of humans over repeated encounters. A recent study found some otters along California's central coast are disturbed by humans six times a day on average, the Times reports.