Otters Go Bonkers on Easter Egg Hunt at Portsmouth Aquarium!
This Bank Holiday weekend (March 25-28), Portsmouth’s Blue Reef Aquarium turns into an otter playground with a cracking Easter egg hunt. Keepers are hiding colourful eggs for the playful Asian short claw otters to find during their lunchtime feed.
Eggs Galore for Foraging Fun
The eggs, dyed with food colouring, are no ordinary treats – they test the otters’ sharp foraging skills. Hannah Butt from Blue Reef explained, “Asian short claw otters love eggs and often raid bird nests in the wild, so we weren’t expecting much trouble.”
She added: “Our female otter Selma smashed it, finding five out of six eggs after keepers did their best to hide them!”
More Than Just a Snack
Besides being a tasty meal, the eggs offer vital environmental enrichment. The otters juggle, splash, and swim with them, showing off their amazing dexterity. Unlike most otters, these guys have only partly webbed front feet with short claws – perfect for digging under rocks and muck.
Brainy, Social Otters
Found across Asia – including India, China, and the Philippines – these otters are clever creatures with a vast vocabulary of up to 12 calls. Highly social and playful, their antics make them a real crowd-pleaser at the aquarium.
