Wildlife officials are trying to catch a naughty sea otter that has been stealing surfboards from surfers! It is happening off the coast of Santa Cruz, in California.
The five-year-old female otter has been doing this for several weeks now, and it poses a safety risk to surfers, says the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Video and photographs show the mammal getting on top of different surfboards – sometimes biting and tearing chunks off a board – and swimming up to surfers.
A team of wildlife experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Monterey Bay Aquarium are working to capture and rehome the animal.
"There have been no reports of injuries. But due to the highly unusual behaviour of this otter, surfers and others should not approach the otter or encourage it," the experts say.
Wildlife officials say the otter's actions are very strange. The exact cause of such behaviour is unknown. Once captured, the otter will be examined by aquarium vets.
"This behaviour in sea otters may be due to being fed by humans," officials say.
Southern sea otters are intelligent animals. They are listed as an endangered species, and they are protected by California state law.
