Will you please get a load of these prosh paws on the keyboard!
I’m sure the folks over at Monterey Bay Aquarium know what they’re doing Debra N. Oh and Keyboard Cat is watching his back!
Play him off, Freshwater Otter!
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Yes, I love this otter. Who doesn’t love ANY otter. But this otter is NO WAY cuter than MY otter (well, not mine, but the one I e-mailed for submission)!
Is it because I found him on FU Penguin?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xPRJcY91HB4/SiwK9yJOtbI/AAAAAAAAAbk/3rw1XmH5jsg/s1600-h/otter+mom.jpg
(Sorry, tinyurl doesn’t seem to work for me these days, and I don’t know how to make it active with all that computer jargon–goes way over my head).
O.K., wow, it worked without me having to do a thing!
When can they start mass producing these? I’d pay a couple bucks for one.
Even playing chords!!
Music geek in me lurves the otter digits!
They otter get that guy a record contract…..
Otter seems to be in a movie theater box office.
Cute and all, but… why is the Monterey Bay Aquarium training otters to play instruments? The mission of the Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the oceans. It seems to me they should do so by showing ocean life behaving naturally, not trying to entertain us with animal tricks. They’re not pets.
So that’s how jazz was invented.
That is one jazzy little otter.
In the winter months he likes to hang out on a berg. The Alban Berg.
OK, Otter “fingers” for the win. But really, he just wants the yummies he could care less about the music. Just like most “musicians” these days. Womanizer anyone?
“Play him off? What does that even mean? I don’t get that!”
“F*ck it! We’ll do it live!”
he should practice his scales…not quite ready for that first recital
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again.
Operant conditioning FTW!!
Epitome of the word “redonk”.
The otter fingers keeeled me!
Influences include Brian Eno, Philip Glass and kibble.
“Make music.”
“B note”
Nora, eat your heart out.
that is the best vido ever
“c note”……………….
how cute
The leetle brown “feengers” were very cute, but for some reason, I enjoyed watching heem nibble the kibble just as much…nom nom nom…..
I shall nibble his toeses. They look delectabuhls.
Playing for tips, just like every other night.
Otter’s just trying to make a living.
Teho, I would totally go to a piano bar, if there was an otter who took kibbles in place of a tip jar.
[I'll look into it. The MN Zoo has river otters, AND sea otters, AND an ampitheater for live music... - Ed.]
EEEeeee! I freakin’ lurve ottttuuuurs! His leetle feengers! Aaah! I must get an otter.
Thank you. Thank you very much. I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to try the fish entrails.
gizmo…helpless with laffs!
OMG who is his manager. I want to hire for my wedding!!!
Hey, that guy is pretty good! His round little feengers, are sooo cute. But the best part was that cheese Rhythm Ace (TM) fake drumm-ish background beat.
Hep cat! Or, rather, otter.
I’d put those paws between two slices of white bread and have myself the cutest snack EVER. God they’re yummy.
Walks up to plexiglass: “Could you play ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey for me?”
Why is the otter behind the glass, I wonders.
Ze leetle feengers are so tantalizinks! No sooner do I start to gaze at them than they are whisked away!
I just realized what the groovy beat reminded me of–the background music in “Napoleon Dynamite”.
Obviously training to be the house band for the evil wiggling otter.
I would like to put his paws in my mouf. That’s why they have to keep him behind plexi glass–to keep people from putting his paws in their moufs.
The otter is behind the glass for the safety of the trainers/keepers. I went on a backstage otter encounter trip with my girlfriend at the Long Beach Aquarium and the keeper there (while explaining why the glass was there to separate us from the otters) told us a story of how one of her friends (also a keeper) had much of his face ripped off by an otter and had to have like 6 surgeries to fix the damage. While they are very cute, they have extremely strong jaws for biting and they do sometimes get aggressive with humans. The trainer at Long Beach called them something like “the world’s cutest killing machines”.
If the Monterey Bay Aquarium is like the one in Long Beach, the glass wall with the hole cutout is part of the exhibit (on a wall you can’t see from the main viewing area) that the otters go to when it is feeding time.
Play it, Sam. You played it for her…
Stop feeding the treats so we can hear the full tune.
man! that is one hungry otter!
@Bob Whiteman: I’m pretty sure that the Monterey Bay people train the otters to do things like this because otters need to be able to play games to not go nuts in captivity. Because they’re very smart, they need to have tasks to complete. They’re not great at living lives of leisure.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
:grabbyhands:
That is not funny or cute at all!
I’m hearing a tango in there somewhere.
Love this! Hey, they workers have to fight boredom somehow.
Do otters have the cutest fingers evar, or what?
Awww. That’s so clever.
I think i heard some melody!
Surely it’s only a matter of time before he records a duet with Norah the piano-playing cat?
I love the way he grabs the treat real fast, without losing his focus on the tunes. Kind of like the guy in the piano bar giving a nod when someone drops a bill in the tip jar without missing a beat of music.
Lethal paws.
Am I the only one who could not get sound?
Hey look, it’s Notter Jones!
Otterly cool. Does he take requests?
The otter plays on his own that cat was being manipulated by someone else. Music needs to be free-free I tells ya.
[But musicians need ta get PAID, girl! - Ed.]
I have visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and recommend it to all, it is extremely cool.
He’s obviously been practicing his Hanon’s!!
I’m sure doafy is right about the otters being given tasks such as piano playing to keep the otters minds and hands busy. Also, such cute “tricks” help keep the public interested in what is being done for ocean conservation and will help donations come in to support their efforts.
rockin skills.
too many treats not enough musics!
[Aww, give 'im a break, 'e's just learnin' - Ed.]
he’s not so much playin’ the keyboard as playin’ the keepers for noms
testing new avatar…come in new avatar…
Yay! I can still be DKN *phew*
[Until and unless the "Dora the Explorer" folks come after you a C&D note...
- Ed.]
Bob Whiteman:
1) If you don’t think something like this will “inspire conservation of the oceans” then you have clearly never seen the Internet before.
2) Why is something that is clearly both entertaining and enjoyable to both the otter and the humans inspiring a negative comment from you? If the otter didn’t want to do this, trust me, he wouldn’t. Not everything is some form of animal abuse. Watch the cute video, be happy, laugh, and then watch the next one. Sheesh.
It looks like a jealous Keyboard Cat is responsible for one of the comments on the youtube vid:
“play piano or only press button sounds ?? thats no impress”
You tell him, Keyboard Cat!
tunz for treatses
And yes otters are strong and fierce. I own a cousin of the otter,a ferret, all are mustelids. Obligate carnivors and voracious hunters.
Otterly ridiculous!! and awesome.
Animals are really into free jazz.
[Because who the hell'd pay for it??
- Ed.]
I NEED CUTENESS WHICH I HAVE SEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m not gonna say this otter is a sellout, but his music is actually a little too mainstream for my taste. Rats are where it’s at for avant-garde piano.
I don’t know why, but his little hands make me want to squeak.
Otters are just too darn cute!
Must be a rough joint, if he needs glass to protect him from the beer bottles. Just like in The Blues Brothers.
[They're on a mission from God, you know.
- Ed.]
This is a pretty good post for a friday……
As Teho gives me a smile…
‘Cuz he knows that it’s CUTE they’ve been comin to see,
To forget about life for a while.
[ *puts bread in your jar* - Ed.]
Is there sound?
[What? - Ed.]
Guys, it’s really easy to find out why they gave the otter the keyboard. All I did was type “otter keyboard” into Google and the first link was a story from the LA Times that explained everything. Here you go:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/06/otter-keyboard-cure-for-the-blues.html
I think it is kind of reactionary to decide that the Monterey Bay Aquarium is treating their animals like pets. It’s also reactionary to suggest that Bob was claiming animal abuse, when he never said anything of the sort. We can all get along if we just spend a few seconds with our friend Google!
[OK, I added another link. Hehehe.
- Ed.]
This is why the internets was invented – so I can watch an otter play the piano.
Yes, Theo, musicians do need to get paid, BUT the poor cat should be free to play his/her own tunes, is what I’m sayin’, like the otter. Chilhuly reference on the other thread for several wins, bytheway. If/When I win a huge lottery, I’m gonna adopt him, he doesn’t know this yet.
It always comes down to Art against Money, doesn’t it?
STOP FEEDING HIM SO MUCH, I want to hear more otter music!!
No you don’t. Seriously.
His fingeez were so damn cute!
If they’d just stop feeding him, he could get his groove on!
PS Note also that Dua is an Asian small-clawed otter, which are the smallest, and most Stinkin’ Cute variety of otter.
@Bob Whiteman & others concerned about the otter playing the keyboard…
I am sure this was/is for enrichment purposes for the otter; the ‘game’ just happens to be entertaining enough for humans to get a kick out of it too.
Last year I taught my senior citizen chihuahua to play the electric keyboard too. Older animals need to keep their brains sharp – just like humans, and this is a way to help keep Dementia at bay. I also use the game as a way to aleviate boredom, especially during inclement weather where outdoor exercising is out of the question for her.
Mollie really loves playing the keyboard, btw. She gets very excited when she sees me take it out of the closet. I tell her it’s “time to play Mozart!” but she always leans more towards Beethoven.
It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it! Far out!
OTTER FINGERS
I am lost again
what happened to Haiku skerl?
Summer disappeared
Cute but I prefer Nora the cat!! She is a true professional and plays for the love of it, not for treats.
Ahhaha! Badkitty, that was the funniest clip.
I knew Otters reminded me of kittehs!! Toes!!
Is there sound?
Regarding the sound, it’s there but its fairly low for a youtube video, just turn the sound all the way up and you’ll hear it. Incidentally if you have something like Real Player and the last time you used it you turned the sound way down, that may affect your youtube sound – it certainly does on my PC.
stop interrupting him and let him play dammit!
“Lessee…D…E…Middle C…(nom)…G…A…(nom)…B-Flat…A…(nom)…”
I love the way he grabs the treat real fast, without losing his focus on the tunes. Kind PowerBall of like the guy in the piano bar giving a nod when someone drops a bill in the tip jar without missing a beat of music.
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