On Friday, Twitch announced a new category for people streaming in swimsuits: pools, hot tubs, and beaches. And while many of the swimsuit-clad streamers can be found in the current category, a new breed of content creator has started taking advantage of the hot tub meta: adorable rescued otters.
The Marine Mammal Rescue Center in Vancouver and four of its rescued otters have their livestream technically in the Jacuzzi category. If you watch the stream you will see them doing all sorts of cute things like splashing around, spinning underwater, and gnawing at their toys. When inactive, you can also relax by floating on your back. They all just do their own little otter thing.
While it’s fun to see her next to all of the people hanging out in their swimsuits, it’s actually a really smart use of the category. The grouping is new, and while many are likely looking for traditional hot tub streams, it appears to be attracting otters’ attention. At the time of going to press, Little Otters had approximately 1,700 viewers, with the channel being the third most popular in its category.
Animals on Twitch are nothing new, of course. In a game reserve in South Africa, there is a livestream of wild animals such as leopards and baby warthogs. The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has shared videos of its penguins touring the museum. Part of what makes the Otters special, however, is that the handler who manages the Marine Mammal Rescue Center’s stream has leaned into the controversial hot tub category. The show’s title jokes that the animals have the “THICCEST FUR” and the “HOTTEST” stream, and refers to how human streamers format their shows in capital letters, if not endless emojis.
The otter livestream is a fun and cute way to connect people with animals when going to a zoo or aquarium was difficult.
