They\u2019re otter-ly ruthless.<\/p>\n
River otters have been ambushing brown pelicans at a picturesque Northern California lagoon \u2014\u00a0dragging the massive birds underwater, drowning them and feasting on their dead bodies.<\/p>\n
Researchers counted a staggering 73 dead pelicans during a single season at Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes National Shore, where as many as 300 of the birds could be seen resting at one time, according to SFGATE<\/a>.<\/p>\n The gruesome hunting tactic was recently thrust back into the spotlight after wildlife photographer Daniel Dietrich shared footage captured in 2023 showing otters taking down two pelicans.<\/p>\n Dietrich said in the caption of his video post that he believed it to be the first time the act had been caught on camera.<\/p>\n But wildlife researcher Megan Isadore witnessed the bloodthirsty attack firsthand years earlier.<\/p>\n Isadore, co-founder of the River Otter Ecology Project, was watching wildlife at the lagoon in 2018 when she spotted a brown pelican frantically flapping its wings.<\/p>\n The struggling bird\u2019s head suddenly disappeared beneath the surface \u2014\u00a0before an otter emerged and began eating it.<\/p>\n River otters have been ambusing brown pelicans at a picturesque Northern California lagoon River Otter Ecology Project<\/p>\n Researchers counted a staggering 73 dead pelicans during a single season at Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes National Shore. River Otter Ecology Project<\/p>\n \u201cI realized the otter had grabbed the pelican, killed it by drowning it, and was starting to eat it,\u201d Isadore told SFGATE.<\/p>\n She and the other witnessed were \u201csomewhat horrified,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n Isadore later began finding an increasing number of pelican carcasses scattered along the lagoon\u2019s shoreline, prompting her and fellow project co-found Terence Carroll to investigate.<\/p>\n The pair monitored the lagoon from June through November 2023, marking each carcass with a biodegradable marker to avoid counting the same bird twice and recording measurements to determine the victims\u2019 ages.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Most appeared to be younger birds, Carroll told the outlet.<\/p>\n Their findings were published in April 2025 in the IUCN\/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin.<\/p>\n Although 73 deaths was \u201cmore than we\u2019d ever seen before,\u201d Isadore said the toll was not large enough to threaten the broader brown pelican population.<\/p>\n The attacks are still considered exceptionally rare.<\/p>\n Before the Point Reyes killings, similar behavior had been reported at Northern California\u2019s Rodeo Lagoon in 2006 and Lake Tolowa in 1998. It has not been document outside the Golden State, according to SFGATE.<\/p>\n A river otter drags a dead brown pelican from the water after the bird was killed.<\/p>\n Brown pelicans have reportedly begun fleeing when otters approach following repeated deadly attacks at the lagoon.<\/p>\n River otters are opportunistic predators with high energy needs that regularly hunt birds, fish and other aquatic prey.<\/p>\n Researchers previously suspected excessive algae growth at Rodeo Lagoon had depleted fish stocks and forced hungry otters to turn to pelicans.<\/p>\n Abbotts Lagoon, however, has not experienced the same conditions \u2014\u00a0raising the possibility that its otters simply discovered the bulky birds made an irresistible meal.<\/p>\n \u201cPelicans are big and have a lot of meat on them,\u201d Isadore told the outlet.\u201d It\u2019s a lot of bang for their buck.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite their playful, puppy-like appearance, river otters are opportunistic predators with high energy needs and regularly hunt ducks, gulls, cormorants, fish and other aquatic prey.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re very fierce and hungry little animals,\u201d Isadore said. \u201cThey\u2019ll get whatever\u2019s plentiful and easiest to catch.\u201d<\/p>\n The otter\u2019s reign of terror may already have changed the pelicans behavior.<\/p>\n Isadore reported seeing pelicans fly away when otters approached \u2014\u00a0believed to be the first documented avoidance behavior between the two species.<\/p>\n Dietrich also said far fewer pelicans now venture into the lagoon, even though they remain common elsewhere around Point Reyes.<\/p>\n The photographer believes the bloodshed has largely subsided since peaking several years ago, possibly because the birds learned to steer clear of the danger zone.<\/p>\n \u201cThey just give it a miss, or they circle and then keep going,\u201d he told SFGATE. \u201cIt is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers still do not know how the gruesome hunting tactic spread between otters \u2014 or why the killings later tapered off.<\/p>\n Whatever happened beneath the water at Abbotts Lagoon, however, the surviving pelicans appear to have gotten the message: This is one splash zone worth skipping.<\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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