Otter steals man’s surfboard, leading internet to speculate they’ve joined forces with killer whales
A hilarious video of an otter stealing a man’s surfboard off the coast of California has sparked internet speculation about the animal’s true motives.
The footage of the interaction was posted to Twitter by KSBW on June 29 and shows an otter hijacking a surfboard while its owner is swimming.
The animal quickly swims away on its new ride as the surfer chases after it, following the mammal a few feet and then engaging in a fight for the board.
The incredible video has been viewed over 2.4 million times and thousands of people have made jokes, puns and conspiracy theories.
“The otters have joined the war,” one person wrote, referring to the internet suggesting orcas have been waging war on ships in their home waters.
A hilarious video of an otter stealing a man’s surfboard off the coast of California has sparked internet speculation about the animal’s true motives
“The otters have joined the war,” one person wrote, referring to the internet suggesting orcas have been waging war on ships in their home waters
The minute-long video begins by showing the otter clinging to the board and beginning to pull it deeper into the ocean.
The encounter took place in June in the waters of Santa Cruz.
In the clip, the surfer rushes after the otter and gets into a full-blown water fight, splashing water at the mammal to try and get it to leave.
The otter appears unfazed, even repeatedly climbing the board until the clip ends without showing how the situation was resolved between the pair.
KSBW also shared another article referring to a similar interaction recorded just days earlier on a nearby beach.
In that story, the friendly otter swam up to a group of surfers and jumped from board to board, unbothered by those around him.
Since the first video was posted on June 29, the tweet containing the clip has been retweeted and favorited thousands of times by Twitter users.
More than 1,000 people have quoted the tweet with hilarious captions and memes about the playful theft.
“It’s the otter’s audacity for me,” one person wrote. “And did the surfer really think splashing water would make the otter disappear?”
The minute-long video begins showing the otter clinging to the board and beginning to pull it deeper into the ocean
In the clip, the surfer rushes after the otter and gets into a full-blown water fight, splashing water at the mammal to try and get it to leave
The otter appears unfazed, even repeatedly climbing the board until the clip ends without showing how the situation between the pair has been resolved
On Twitter, many others speculated that the otters had teamed up with the killer whales that the internet joked lay claim to the ocean.
“Santa Cruz otters just returned from two weeks of summer camp with the killer whales,” one person wrote in a comment.
“‘The killer whales said you shouldn’t be here anymore!'” added another.
‘First the orcas, now the otters. The uprising has begun. “The sea shall take what the sea shall have,” wrote a third Twitter user.
“Otters have joined orcas. There is no hope for us now. For example, I welcome our new aquatic overlords,” a user named Chris shared.
“The creatures that live in the ocean had a meeting and decided they wanted to reclaim their home,” another wrote.
On Twitter, many speculated that the otters were teaming up with the killer whales that the internet jokes lay claim to the ocean
“Santa Cruz otters just got back from two weeks of summer camp with the killer whales,” one person wrote in response to the viral clip
The internet has been joking in recent months that the killer whales and other sea creatures are organizing an “animal uprising” to overthrow the humans.
In June, the Daily Mail.com reported that White Gladis, a killer whale believed to have kicked off the “coup,” was believed to be pregnant when she first started ramming into boats.
The orca has even taken her newborn calf on terror expeditions.
White Gladis belongs to a pod of killer whales that have been attacking boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal since the summer of 2020.
The so-called “orca revolt,” believed to have been initiated by White Gladis, has seen the species ram and circle ships before ripping their rudders free.
Daily Mail.com reported that White Gladis (pictured), a killer whale believed to have kicked off the ‘coup’, was believed to be pregnant when she first started ramming into boat