Milo, a sea otter at the Vancouver Aquarium, died from complications of cancer on Wednesday after an extraordinary life -for an otter. Milo, along with a female otter who was rescued from Alaskan waters after the Exxon Valdeez oil spill, Nyac, appeared in a YouTube video called Otters Holding Hands in 2007. That video received 16 million views and made Milo a star. Nyac passed away in 2008. Milo was diagnosed with lymphoma last summer. He responded well to chemotherapy at first, but ultimately succumbed to the disease. Aquarium staff announced Thursday that Milo had been euthanized.

“He was one of our emblematic animals who was loved by staff, volunteers, members and people worldwide. Our team—especially those who worked closely with Milo during the past months to provide specialized care while he was receiving treatment — are saddened by his death, but take solace in his peaceful departure,” said a statement issued by the aquarium.

Lymphoma has been documented before in wild otters whose bodies were recovered after they died in California, but Milo was the first living sea otter to be treated for the disease.

Milo was born in a Portuguese zoo and arrived at the Vancouver Aquarium when he was young.

Milo was twelve years old. Link -via Arbroath

An otter at Sea World in San Diego has fun with an energetic toddler. Which is what otters really are underneath that fur! -via Buzzfeed

Watch as Oliver the otter creates a masterpiece to be auctioned off for the Pretoria Zoo in South Africa. -via Unique Daily

You can debate the wisdom of making an otter into a pet, but you have to agree that Sidney is adorable. -via Buzzfeed

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has trained this cute little guy to play piano. Of course, he’s not the next Beethoven, but it’s still too cute to look away.

Link Via Cute Overload

Wildlife photographer Enrique Aguirre was on a boat piloted by Captain Yohn Gideon with other photojournalists when they spotted an otter in the water with something odd in its paws …

“I was like, did I actually see an otter with a video camera or was I hallucinating?” he said.

The screen on Aguirre’s digital camera soon confirmed what he’d seen: an otter floating on its back, video camera grasped in its paws, lens aimed at the boat of excited photographers. The humans had a bad angle, but Aguirre managed to snap a single clear shot before the otter dived, video camera in tow.

“He’s the only one who got the photo,” Gideon said.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Jake.