You Gotter Love an Otter

Any time I have seen otters at a zoo, I have fallen in love with these guys because they seem like they have such a wonderful sense of humor!  I know - that's anthropomorphism - giving human characteristics to an animal.  We do it all the time.  But if we are evolved from primates why wouldn't they have some of the same characteristics that we do.  Okay, that's totally getting off track; the subject is otters.  The North American River Otter for example.

Source:  Wikipedia

Look at that face!  The otter is a member of the weasel family and the river otter feeds on fish, frogs and crayfish, with an occasional turtle or small mammal.  It lives along rivers, lakes, swamps, or estuary systems and has a burrow with many openings often one of which leads directly into the water.  A  good swimmer, it can hold its breath for up to 12 minutes and its body is streamlined for gliding through the water.  It also has a thick, water-repellant coat.  It is able to move well on land too and is often called the land otter.

Its cousin, the sea otter, can move on land, but spends most of its time in the water.  It has the densest coat in the animal kingdom.  One of the sea otter's favorite foods is sea urchins and the sea otter is considered a keystone species for its help in controlling the sea urchin population that would otherwise damage kelp ecosystems.  When resting or sleeping, otters may wrap themselves in kelp to keep from drifting out to sea.  They will rest in groups known as rafts numbering anywhere from 10 to 100.  The sea otter is one of a few mammals that use tools - a stone to open a clam.

Source:  Wikipedia

The sea otter has a heavier body than the river otter, but both are endemic species of North America.  There are three sub-species of sea otters including the southern sea otter, also known as the California sea otter, and the northern sea otter that lives along the Alaskan coast.  All remain along coastal areas and in more shallow water because they are 'bottom feeders' going to the ocean floor to forage.

There are about 12 different species of otters with distribution pretty much all over the world.  The largest, the giant otter, can be up to 6 feet long from nose to the tip of its tail, and lives in South America.

Source:  Animal Discovery

Its face looks different from its North American cousins.  All have been hunted for their fur.  The giant otter is also known as the water dog or river wolf and also has the shortest fur of all the other species.  The giant otter's favorite food is catfish and they hunt and live in family groups also unlike their more solitary cousins.

Any time you go to a zoo or an aquarium and there are otters, don't miss the chance at some real entertainment.  Here are a few videos.

For a video of river otters, click here.

For a video of a sea otter and very sleepy pup, click here.

For a video about giant otters, click here.