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Watch this adorable sea otter attempt to break open shellfish

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By Brelaun Douglas via SWNS

Watch this adorable sea otter attempt to break open shellfish.

Uni Sushi is a southern sea otter at the Oregon Zoo who couldn’t wait to get into her fishy snack.

In the video, the otter bangs the shellfish against a rock multiple times before eventually opening it and enjoying the tasty treat.

Uni Sushi is one of three southern sea otters that reside at the Oregon Zoo in Portland.

She was found in 2018 as a tiny pup, stranded on a beach near Santa Cruz, California.

The furry cutie was given a permanent home at the zoo after being deemed non-releasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Her name pays homage to the foods her species love to eat.

“The marine mammal care team named her in honor of the sustainable seafood diet she and the rest of the sea otter family enjoy (uni is the Japanese word for sea urchin),” said a rep for the zoo.

“Because of their high metabolism, sea otters eat about 25% of their weight in clams, crabs, shrimp, sea urchins, mussels, squid and fish each day.”

Southern sea otters have been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1977.

“Sea otters, once abundant along the Oregon coast, were hunted to extinction here in the early 1900s and have not established permanent residence in the state for more than a century,” said a rep.

“Though currently protected from hunting by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, they continue to be threatened by oil spills, fishing nets and infectious diseases.

“Sea otters are considered a keystone species and play a critical role in the Pacific Coast marine ecosystem, promoting healthy kelp forests, which in turn support thousands of organisms.”

Sushi and the other otters can be seen on all platforms @OregonZoo.

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