Energy demands of raising a pup push sea otter moms to the limit

Parents often complain that child-rearing is exhausting, but consider the poor sea otter mom. By the time a sea otter pup is weaned, its mother may be so depleted physiologically that she is unable to survive the stress of a minor wound or infection. Sea otter researchers have a term for it—"end-lactation syndrome"—and believe it accounts for high mortality rates among female sea otters in some areas.

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