Otter 841

{{Short description|Southern sea otter, (c.2018–present)}}

{{Infobox animal|name=Otter 841|image=Sea_Otter_841.jpg|caption=Sea Otter 841 foraging in shallow water in Santa Cruz, CA|species=Enhydra lutris nereis (southern sea otter)|children=1|parents=Otter 723 (mother)|birth_date={{circa|2018}}|known_for=Unusual aggression and "stealing" surfboards by latching onto them|birth_place=Coastal Science Campus of UC Santa Cruz|sex=Female|othername=Sea Otter 841
Laverna}}

Otter 841 (born {{Circa|2018}}), also known as Sea Otter 841, is a female southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) who attracted publicity in mid-2023 for her aggressive interactions with surfers and kayakers off the coast of Santa Cruz, California.{{cite news |last=Iati |first=Marisa |title=How an 'ungovernable' otter became an internet sensation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/07/24/otter-841-surfboard-capture/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 24, 2023}}{{Cite web |title=Wildlife officials attempt safe capture of unusually aggressive sea otter in Santa Cruz |url=https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CNRA/bulletins/3654bf9 |access-date=2023-08-07|date=2023-07-14 |website=California Department of Fish and Wildlife|language=en}}

841 was born in captivity at the Coastal Science Campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz and raised at Monterey Bay Aquarium by her mother, Otter 723, with minimal human intervention.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Dustin |date=July 22, 2023 |title=An otter turned outlaw continues to evade wildlife officials in Santa Cruz |publisher=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189352338/sea-otter-search-santa-cruz-surfers}} In June 2020 she was released into the wild at Moss Landing Wildlife Area.{{Cite news |last=Clayton |first=Abené |date=27 Oct 2023 |title=841+1: beloved mischievous otter who swiped surfboards gives birth to pup |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/27/otter-841-mother-pup-california-santa-cruz |access-date=2024-07-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In October 2023, it was confirmed that 841 had given birth to a pup.{{Cite web|date=2023-10-26 |title=Southern sea otter 841 observed with pup, wildlife biologists encourage ethical wildlife viewing| url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-10/southern-sea-otter-841-observed-pup-wildlife-biologists-encourage-ethical |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=United States Fish and Wildlife Service |language=en}} After not being sighted again for several months, she reappeared in the Santa Cruz area in May 2024.{{Cite news|date=May 29, 2024|first=Rae|last=Alexandra|title=The Infamous Santa Cruz Sea Otter Is Back and Ready to Snack (on Surfboards)| url=https://www.kqed.org/arts/13958776/santa-cruz-attack-otter-841-is-back-steamer-lane-surfboard |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=KQED |language=en}}

Although Otter 841 does not have an official personal name, she has been nicknamed "Laverna" after the Roman goddess of thieves.{{Cite news |last=Gorvett |first=Zaria |date=5 September 2023 |title=What we can learn from California's surfing sea otter|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230905-what-we-can-learn-from-californias-surfing-sea-otter |access-date=2024-04-20 |publisher=BBC}}