The child suffered bites to the head, legs and face in the attack at a Seattle-area marina. River otters can be territorial, wildlife authorities say.

A river otter attacked a woman and her child in Washington state Thursday while they were walking on a dock in Bremerton, officials said.

An aggressive otter pulled a young child off a dock and dragged them underwater at a marina in Washington, officials said. The attack happened at about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 at the Bremerton Marina, the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife said in a news release.