River Otters Get Surprise Snow Day to Kick Off Winter

It was a day of unbridled joy for four river otters at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco as they were treated to a snow day Thursday, which also happened to be the first day of winter. 

The otters — Tahoe, Shasta, Baxter and Ryer — frolicked in the snow that was placed inside their enclosure by staff.

In all, between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of snow was dropped in their habitat, creating a winter wonderland for the creatures.

The otters rested their backs on the cool snow, and even buried their heads in it and played around.

Visitors to the aquarium eventually came to watch the otters in their enclosure, giving the animals an audience of humans while having the time of their lives inside the frosty snow. 

"River otters love to play in the snow," said Mallory Johnson, content and communications manager for Aquarium of the Bay told the San Francisco Chronicle. "They are well-equipped to handle the snow, as they have over 58,000 hairs per square centimeter on their body that help keep them dry and warm."

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