River otters had not been known on California’s San Mateo coast since the 1800s

In an astonishing discovery, researchers have spotted a North American river otter at the Cloverdale Ranch Open Space Preserve for the first time in a century.

Initially aimed at monitoring foxes, the wildlife cameras revealed this rare sighting, the first for the San Mateo coast since the 1800s.

Conservationists are optimistic about the positive effects on local ecosystems.