Otter fact file

A young otter is known as a whelp or a pup. Otters are one of the few mammals which use tools. The main example is sea otters which use rocks to smash through prey items such as urchins. An oriental small clawed otter.

All species of otter are carnivores. They spend their time feeding on a range of fish, crabs, crayfish, small mammals, birds and more depending on their range. Otter's are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. They make their habitat throughout a range of waterway's such as rivers, lakes and swamps for the smaller species up to sea otters which can be found in the Pacific Ocean. The largest of the 13 otter species is the giant otter of South America.

They can measure up to 1. At just 61cm 24in long Asia's oriental small clawed otter is the smallest of the world's otter species. They weigh a mere 5kg 11lbs at most. A giant otter. Otter Species — A full list of the 13 species. A family of Sea Otters. Species Profiles — A detailed fact file on some of the world's otter species. Webbed feet and powerful tails, which act like rudders, make otters strong swimmers.

Their nostrils and ears close to keep water out, and waterproof fur keeps them warm. Otters have the densest fur of any animal— as many as a million hairs per square inch in places. Otters also have particularly stinky poop, which even has its own name: spraints. Most otter species come ashore to give birth in dens, which sometimes have been used by other animals such as beavers. Sea otters are the exception, giving birth in the water.

All otters are expert hunters that eat fish, crustaceans, and other critters. Sea otters have an ingenious method to open shellfish. A sea otter will float on its back, place a rock on its chest, then smash the mollusk down on it until it breaks open. They also sometimes intertwine their feet with another sea otter, so that they stay together. River otters are especially playful, gamboling on land and splashing into rivers and streams.

They learn to swim when they are about two months old, when their mother pushes them into the water. Otters and their mustelid relatives were once hunted extensively for their fur, many to the point of near extinction. Despite regulations designed to protect them, many species remain at risk from pollution and habitat loss.

They may sometimes come to shore, but they spend the majority of time in the water, hanging around kelp forests. In a bizarre turn away from their normal diet, there are some otters in the Shetland Islands in Scotland which have been known to hunt rabbits instead of fish. Otters are born with their eyes closed, and as soon as they open they have a lot to learn like swimming and hunting. Historically otters have been used by humans to aid in the process of fishing all over the world. Nowadays this technique is still practiced in Bangladesh, where trained otters are used to chase fish into fishing nets.

More like squatters! Otters, like humans, are mammals. This means that we do not have the ability to breathe underwater. Sea otters can hold their breather underwater for more than 5 minutes, and river otters can hold theirs for more than 8! Otters have to eat vast amounts of food every day, which takes up a significant portion of their time.

A lot of species of otters were once at risk of becoming extinct due to their highly sought-after fur. The Fact Site requires you to enable Javascript to browse our website. Unlike most marine mammals, otters do not have a layer of insulating blubber. Instead air is trapped in their fur which keeps them warm. The otter is a very playful animal and are believe to take part in some activities just for the enjoyment.

Some make waterslides to slide down into the water! Otters are a popular animal in Japanese folklore where they are called "kawauso". In these tales the smart kawauso often fool humans, kind of like a fox.