Sea Otter 841 Is A Splash As A Halloween Costume In Santa Cruz

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Otter 841 made a big splash during Halloween trick or treat — not that the crush of Santa Cruz and beyond hadn’t already gained a reputation for treating herself to surfers’ boards and tricking her would-be captors.

Photographer Mark Woodward has been tracking 841’s movements for months and posting photos under his Native Santa Cruz on social media accounts. This week, he posted photos on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, showing the popularity of Otter 841 Halloween costumes around Santa Cruz. Most, Woodward noted, had both a surfboard and a pup, references to 841’s track record for biting surfboards and her status as a new mother.

In all, he counted a dozen 841 costumes. The sixth otter fan he encountered on Halloween didn’t have a baby. “I asked where the baby otter was,” Woodward said, “and she told me she was pregnant.”

Woodward said on X “the most popular Halloween costume in Santa Cruz had to have been 841!” He expected to see a few, but said he was “surprised and happy” to have seen a dozen.

The photos included a gem that showed someone in an 841 costume sneaking up on a guy dressed as a surfer.

“No people in Fish & Wildlife costumes going after the ones in 841 costumes?” someone asked.

About that: Now that she has given birth to a pup, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has paused efforts to capture 841. The otter evaded capture for months after officials determined that given her aggressive behavior toward humans, she would be better off at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Biologists will continue to monitor her behavior, but for now, the ocean is an oyster for 841 and her pup, or as Woodward calls the pair, “841 +1.”

The Fish & Wildlife Service wants to keep it that way, too, reminding the public the Southern sea otters are a protected species and approaching them “so closely that it changes its behavior … could result in penalties, including fines up to $100,000 and potential jail time up to one year.”

Raising a pup takes a lot of energy, the Fish & Wildlife Service said. An adult sea otter such as 841 has to actively forage and eat 20 percent to 30 percent of its body mass every day just to meet its energy needs.

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“That’s why it’s incredibly important for sea otters to conserve their energy, and why they are often seen resting on their backs on the water’s surface when they are not foraging — their survival, and the survival of their pups, depends on it,” the agency said in a news release. “To help give sea otters and their pups the best chance at survival in the wild, it's important for members of the public to give them and their pups space. …”

In a post Wednesday, Woodward said mom and pup have been spending a lot of time off the coast of Santa Cruz. She dives for food, leaving her pup floating on the surface of the water. Very young pups don’t swim but are able to float in the water. They spend most of their time on their mothers’ stomachs.

“As is normal, the surfers respected both of them,” Woodward said. “I’m hoping they’ll continue to warn the worst offenders, kayakers and boarders, to stay away if they get too close.”

In a video posted Thursday, Woodward noted, “841’s pup was crying for mom” while she was underwater getting food.

The post was followed with the squeals of delight common with all things 841. And 841 has even inspired a song.

“Super cute. I hope someone gives her a proper name and no, not Jaws,” one person wrote on X.

Ahem, Moxie, anyone?