🐾 Otter

Otter

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Who it is

• Scientific name: Lutrinae (subfamily); sea otter Enhydra lutris, North American river otter Lontra canadensis
• Family & relatives: Members of the weasel family (Mustelidae), closely related to badgers, minks, and weasels.
• How to spot it: Look for a sleek streamlined body, thick fur, a long muscular tail, and webbed feet; sea otters often float on their backs.

Its body & abilities

• Size: Body length ranges from about 60 cm in small river otters to 1.5 m (2 to 5 ft) in sea otters including the tail.
• Weight: Weights range from about 5 kg (11 lb) in small river otters to 45 kg (99 lb) in large sea otters.
• Body & adaptations: The densest fur of any animal traps air for warmth since otters lack a blubber layer, and webbed feet power their swimming.
• Top speed: River otters swim at around 11 km/h (7 mph) and can bound quickly on land.
• Strength: Sea otters use rocks as tools, smashing shellfish on a stone balanced on their chest.
• Senses: Sensitive whiskers detect prey movements underwater, and their eyesight works well both above and below the surface.
• Growing up: Pups are born furry and helpless; sea otter mothers raise a single pup on their belly while floating.

Where it lives

• Habitat: They live in rivers, lakes, wetlands, coasts, and kelp forests depending on the species.
• Where in the world: Otters are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
• Territory: They defend stretches of shoreline or riverbank and mark them with scent from a special gland.

What it eats

• Diet: Carnivores that eat mostly fish and shellfish and drink fresh water (sea otters can get water from their food).
• Favorite foods: Favorites include fish, crabs, clams, sea urchins, frogs, and crayfish.
• How it hunts: They dive and chase prey underwater, using dexterous paws and whiskers to grab hidden food.

How it behaves

• How it moves: They swim with rippling body waves and tail strokes and slide on their bellies over mud and snow.
• When it is active: Most are active by day or at dawn and dusk, though some river otters forage at night.
• Family life: Sociable animals; a group is called a raft (in water) or a romp (on land).
• How it talks: They whistle, chirp, growl, and scream, and share information through scent marking.
• Babies: Depending on species, one to several pups are born after a pregnancy of two months to over a year (with delayed implantation in some).

Its place in nature

• Role in nature: Sea otters are keystone predators that protect kelp forests by eating sea urchins; predators include sharks, orcas, and birds of prey.
• Conservation: Status varies: the sea otter is Endangered while the North American river otter is Least Concern, threatened by pollution and habitat loss.
• Dangers: Oil spills, pollution, fishing nets, predators, and disease are major causes of death.

Life & legacy

• How long it lives: River otters live about 8 to 13 years in the wild; sea otters about 10 to 20 years.
• In our culture: Loved worldwide for their playfulness, otters star in folklore and are internet favorites for holding hands while floating.
• Where to see it: Watch sea otters in California's Monterey Bay and river otters in wetlands and rivers across North America and Europe.
• Fun fact: Sea otters hold hands while sleeping so they do not drift apart on the waves.