(KRON) -- Nearly 30,000 people recently voted in the Monterey Bay Aquarium's online poll for naming a rescued sea otter. "We’re otter-ly excited to introduce our newest southern sea otter, Opal," the aquarium wrote. Opal arrived at the Monterey Bay Aquarium after she was found stranded on a San L uis Obispo beach as a three-week-old pup in February 2024. She was deemed un-releasable by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Opal will join otters Ivy, Selka, and Ruby on exhibit this summer and make her public debut. Aquarium staff members described their newest sea otter resident as "smart, sassy, confident, and protective — an otter that watches out for her raft." The Monterey Bay Aquarium's newest sea otter, Opal. is seen swimming on her back. (Photo courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium) When she is old enough, the one-year-old sea otter may give pups brought to the aquarium a second chance for returning to the wild ocean. "Opal may act as a surrogate mother to orphaned sea otter pups as part of our sea otter surrogacy program," the aquarium wrote. Santa Cruz’s wild ‘surfing sea otter’ has new pup Surrogate mothers teach rescued pups skills they need to survive in the wild, such as grooming and foraging. The Monterey Bay Aquarium's newest sea otter, Opal. is seen swimming on her back. (Photo courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium) The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Program works to help the iconic species recover in population numbers and return to historical ranges along California's coast. A new Sea Otter Conservation Center, dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating sea otters, is nearing its final stages of construction. ...read more read less