Otter chaos! Cheeky cub leaps on mum in playful seaside wrestle

These heartwarming images capture the moment a cheeky otter cub repeatedly leapt on its mum during a lively seaside play fight.

The charming scenes were photographed by wildlife photographer Paul McDougall, 47, from Blantyre, Scotland, while leading one of his wildlife photography workshops on the Isle of Mull last week.

Paul, founder of Touch The Wild, tracked the pair after spotting them swimming towards a rocky headland. After carefully positioning themselves downwind and sheltering behind rocks, Paul and his group waited as the otters fished before eventually climbing onto kelp-covered rocks to rest.

After more than an hour lying low in the wind and rain, the group were rewarded when the cub woke full of energy and began playfully wrestling with its mum for around 30 minutes.

In one striking image, the cub launches itself paws-first at its mother as she rests on a mound of seaweed, mouth open in mock protest. In another, the youngster is captured mid-air, fully stretched as it bounds towards her, perfectly freezing the energy of the moment.

Paul said: "We stayed hidden in the kelp for over an hour in the wind and rain waiting for them to wake up. When they finally did, the cub was full of energy and kept launching itself at its mum.”

The playful sparring continued as the cub repeatedly pounced while its mother patiently tolerated the attention.

“It was a lovely, intimate moment,” Paul added. “The cub was just being boisterous and mum was incredibly patient. Watching natural behaviour like that, completely undisturbed, is what these workshops are all about.”

Paul MacDougall

Paul runs dedicated otter photography workshops on Mull, guiding small groups to photograph the animals responsibly in their natural coastal habitat.

To find out more about Paul and his photography workshops go to https://www.mcdougallphotographic.co.uk