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Dec 21, 2023 · Interestingly, sea otters are heavier and possibly smarter than wolverines. Sea otters are the largest member of the otter family. These sea mammals weigh between 31-99 pounds and can live up to 10-20 years in the wild. The oldest sea otter lived to the age of 25, but that was with immediate veterinary care and a healthy atmosphere.
- There Are 13 Species of Otters, and Just About All of Them Are decreasing.
- Zoroastrians Thought The Otters to Be Nearly Sacred Creatures.
- Otters Have Very Distinctive Poop, and That Scat Has Its Own name.
- Otter Moms Are Totally Game For Adoption.
- They Have The Thickest Fur of Any Mammal in The Animal Kingdom.
- An Otter Is Sometimes only as Good as His Tools.
- Otters Are Popular in Native American Cultures, But For Varying reasons.
- Giant Otters Are Super chatty.
- Otters and Humans Can Collaborate.
- Drones May Help Scientists Better Study Otters in The Wild.
Only one otter species seems to be thriving, and that's the North American River Otter. The other 12 otter species were recently identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as having decreasing populations, and five otter species are already on the endangered list. Among the endangered are the sea otters along the Califo...
This ancient religion considered otters to be the dogs of the river or sea and had strict rules forbidding the killing of otters. It was thought that otters helped keep water purified by eating already dead creatures that might contaminate the water source if they were allowed to rot. Zoroastrians would also hold ceremoniesfor otters found dead in ...
Otters use their dung—known as spraint—to communicate with other otters. The mammals like to keep things organized within their communities and will designate certain areas to be used as latrines. Spraint scents can vary, but often are (relatively) pleasant—one expert described them as not "dissimilar to jasmine tea." Spraint composition is unique ...
In 2001, a female otter at the Monterey Bay Aquarium gave birth to a stillborn pup on the same day a stranded pup was discovered in the wild nearby. The aquarium staff had previously tried raising pups themselves but found that hand-raised otters became too attached to humans to be released back into the wild. So instead, they dropped the pup in wi...
Otters can have up to one million hairs per square inch. There are two layers of fur—an undercoat and then longer hairs that we can see. The layers manage to trap air next to the otter's skin, which keeps the otters dry and warm and also helps with buoyancy. Otter pups have so much air trapped in there, they actually can’t dive under water, even if...
Otters love to eat shelled animals, like clams, but they aren't equipped with the strength to open their food without some help. Therefore, they are big on toolsand will often use rocks to help crack into dinner. While they hunt for food underwater, they’ll often store a rock in the skin under their arms for later use.
Some tribesconsider the otter to be a lucky animal and a symbol of "loyalty and honesty." But some, particularly in present-day Canada and Alaska, viewed the river otter "with awe and dread" and associated the creatures with the undead and drowning. Some cultures even forbid eating the creatures and were offended when colonial Europeans began hunti...
In 2014, a study of giant otters found that the river-dwellers have 22 distinct noises they make for different situations. On top of that, pups have 11 of their own calls that they intersperse with "infant babbling." Among the most notable calls: a "hum gradation" used to tell otters to change directions and a "Hah!" shout when a threat is nearby.
In Bangladesh, otters help fishermanmaximize their haul. For centuries, fisherman have been training otters to act as herders and chase large schools of fish into the nets.
Keeping an eye on otters in the wild is a tricky task. In the past, observers have usually set up telescopes on shore to try and monitor otters at sea. Otters won't act naturally with humans nearby, and using a telescope on a boat can get tricky in the rollicking ocean. But now, scientists are using unmanned droneswith cameras to get an aerial look...
- Hannah Keyser
- They Aren't All Sea Otters. River otters are frequently mistaken for sea otters. River otters live primarily in freshwater, though they do swim and hunt in seawater.
- Some Hold Hands While Sleeping. Sea otters, particularly mothers and pups, sometimes hold hands while floating on their backs. Hand-holding keeps the otters from drifting away from each other and their food source while they sleep.
- They Are in Trouble. Of the 13 species of otter, IUCN lists five as endangered, five as near-threatened, and two as vulnerable. Only the North American river otter is a species of least concern.
- They Have Many Names. Baby otters usually are called pups. They can also be called kits or kittens. Female otters are sows, and males are boars. Otter groups are called a family, bevy, lodge, or a romp.
Oct 2, 2015 · Oct 2, 2015. Otters are one of the smartest species on the planet. Sometimes they forget they're not humans. We're starting to realize how smart otters really are. They know how to play basketball ...
2 to 6 feet long. Weight: 10 to 75 pounds. The charismatic otter, a member of the weasel family, is found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Most are small, with short ears and ...
May 6, 2024 · Most otters are small, with short ears and noses, elongated bodies, long tails, and soft, dense fur. ... Bottom line: Otters are cute, fluffy, smart and good swimmers. They are incredible ...
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There are 13 species of otter around the world and many of them are endangered. Otters first inhabited the British Isles in the Cromerian Interglacial period (500,000 years ago), long before humans. A male otter is called a dog, a female is a bitch, and the young whelp, pup or kit. Otters sometimes sleep above ground in a ‘couch’ (den).
