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By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

To the rescue: A mother sea keeps her pup afloat in glacial waters off the coast of Alaska


It is a lifeguard rescue that would make former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff proud.
Swimming on her back this mother sea otter pulls her young pup across the water just off the coast of Alaska.

The otter jumped into the water to keep her young one afloat, before calmly floating from one end of the glacier to the other.

Nature photographer Jon Cornforth, 39, captured the intimate moments in the waters of Prince William Sound on the glacial south coast of Alaska.

He said: ‘The otters head to the Prince William Sound this time of year to breed.

‘They swim on their backs to warm their faces and hands by taking them out of the water and letting them dry off.

‘These parts of the body have least fur which means they get cold more quickly.
‘I've seen one month-old youngsters swimming by unaided quite happily.


On dry land: The mother and her baby take a rest on an iceberg after the furry lifeguard rescue


‘But this doesn't stop the mothers from giving them a helping paw.’

Jon travelled 1,500 miles from his home in Seattle to the glacier where summer is in full swing.

Much of the ice is melting this time of year, which allows the otters to feed and frolic in the sea.

‘The mums are doing everything they can the feed their young,’ he said.

‘Sea otters eat a phenomenal amount - about 30 per cent of their body weight a day.


Getting along swimmingly: The mother sea otter jumped into the water to keep her young one afloat


‘Food is not a problem - but they do depend on the sea ice to drop their babies off and hunt without fear of predators.

‘Sadly, they live on the fastest retreating glacier in North America.

‘About 80 yards of ice a day is disappearing because of global warming - it's incredible and worrying.’

The sea otter is the largest member of the Mustelidoe, or weasel family.
They grow up to five feet long and can live to be 25 years old.


On patrol: The sea otter keeps her eye out for danger from the top of an Iceberg in Prince William Sound


Sea otters are excellent swimmers - and can dive 250 feet underwater to capture the mussels, urchins and crabs that make up their diet.

In the nineteenth century these charismatic mammals were almost hunted to extinction for their thick fur.

They are now protected under U.S. conservation laws and in 2008 the population was taken off the endangered species list.

The worldwide population of 107,000 is thought by scientists to be stable for the moment.

‘Sea otters are clever and adaptable - we can only hope this is enough for them to survive,’ said Jon.

source: dailymail