Otter

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Otter

Otters are semi-aquatic (or in one case aquatic

Aquatic animal

An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life.Natural environments and the animals that live in them can be categorized as aquatic or terrestrial ecoregion ....
) fish-eating mammal

Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
s. The otter subfamily Lutrinae forms part of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
Mustelidae

Mustelidae

Mustelidae or Mustelids , commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivora mammals. The Mustelidae is a diverse family and the largest in the order Carnivora, at least partly because it has in the past been a catch-all category for many early or poorly differentiated taxa....
, which also includes weasel

Weasel

Weasels are mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family .Originally, the name "weasel" was applied to one species of the genus, the European form of the Least Weasel ....
s, polecats, badger

Badger

Badger is the common name for a specific group of carnivora mammals, which belong to the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, ferrets, wolverines, and relatives....
s, as well as others. With thirteen species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
in seven genera

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
, otters have an almost worldwide distribution. They mainly eat aquatic animals, predominantly fish

Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
and shellfish

Shellfish

Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s, amphibian

Amphibian

Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form....
s, bird

Bird

Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
word otr, otor or oter.

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Encyclopedia

Otters are semi-aquatic (or in one case aquatic

Aquatic animal

Mammal

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
Mustelidae

Mustelidae

Weasel

Badger

Species

Genus

Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
and shellfish

Shellfish

Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s, amphibian

Amphibian

Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form....
s, bird

Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s and small mammals.

Etymology and terminology

The word otter derives from the Old English

Old English language

Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages are a Language family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau , Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ....
ultimately stem from a root

Root (linguistics)

The root is the primary lexicology unit of a word, which carries the most significant aspects of semantics content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents....
which also gave rise to the English words water, wet and winter.

An otter's den is called a holt. Male otters are dog-otters, females are bitches and babies are cubs or pups. The collective noun for otters is pack or sometimes romp, being descriptive of their often playful nature.

Characteristics

Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs, with webbed paws. Most have sharp claws on their feet, and all except the sea otter have long muscular tails.

They have a very soft underfur which is protected by their outer layer of long guard hair. This traps a layer of air, and keeps them dry and warm under water.

Diet and behavior

Otters do not depend on their specialized fur alone for survival in the cold waters where many live: they also have very high metabolic rates. For example Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body-weight a day, and sea otters 20 to 25%, depending on the temperature. In water as warm as 10°C (50°F) an otter needs to catch 100 grams (3 oz) of fish per hour to survive. Most species hunt for 3 to 5 hours a day, and nursing mothers up to 8 hours a day.

For most otters, fish

Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
is the primary staple of their diet. This is often supplemented by frog

Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . The name frog derives from Old English language frogga, , cognate with Sanskrit plava , probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European language praw = "to jump"....
s, crayfish

Crayfish

Crayfish, crawfish, or crawdads are fresh water crustaceans resembling small lobsters, to which they are related. They breathe through feather-like gills and are found in bodies of water that do not freeze to the bottom; they are also mostly found in brooks and streams where there is fresh water running, and which have shelter ag...
and crab

Crab

Crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax....
s. Some otters are expert at opening shellfish

Shellfish

Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton bearing aquatic invertebrate used as food, including various species of Molluscas, crustaceans, and echinoderms....
, and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion.

Otters are very active, chasing prey in the water or searching the beds of rivers, lakes or the seas. Most species live beside water, entering it mainly to hunt or travel, otherwise spending much of their time on land to avoid their fur becoming waterlogged. The sea otter does live in the sea for most of its life.

Otters are playful animals. For example, they are often seen sliding repeatedly down snowy slopes, apparently for sheer enjoyment. Different species vary in their social structure, with some being largely solitary, while others live in groups – in a few species these groups may be fairly large.

Species

Genus Lutra
Lutra

Lutra is a genus of otters with three species.*Lutra lutra - European otter*Lutra nippon - Japanese otter*Lutra sumatrana - Hairy-nosed otter...

Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra)
Hairy-nosed otter
Hairy-nosed Otter

The Hairy-nosed Otter is one of the rarest otter species on earth, and was thought to be extinct in 1998 as there had been no sightings for many years, but a tiny number of populations have been rediscovered since then....
(Lutra sumatrana)

Genus Hydrictis

Spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)

Genus Lutrogale
Lutrogale

Lutrogale is a genus of otter, with only one extant species - the smooth-coated otter.*? Lutrogale cretensis - Cretan Otter*? Lutrogale palaeoleptonyx...

Smooth-coated otter
Smooth-coated Otter

The Smooth-coated Otter is a species of otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. The species is found from India east to Southeast Asia, and there is a disjunct population in Iraq....
(Lutrogale perspicillata)

Genus Lontra
Lontra

Lontra is a genus of otters from the Americas.The genus comprises four species:*North American River Otter *Southern River Otter *Neotropical Otter ...

Northern river otter
Northern River Otter

The North American River Otter , also known as the Northern River Otter or the Common Otter, is a semi-aquatic mammal endemism to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts....
(Lontra canadensis)
Southern river otter
Southern River Otter

The Southern river otter is a species of otter that lives in Chile and Argentina. Although called a "river otter", it inhabits both marine and freshwater environments....
(Lontra provocax)
Neotropical river otter
Neotropical River Otter

The Neotropical Otter , Lontra longicaudis, is an otter species found in Central America, South America and the island of Trinidad.It is found in many different riverine habitats, including deciduous and evergreen forests, savannas, llanos and pantanal....
(Lontra longicaudis)
Marine otter
Marine Otter

Marine Otters are rare and poorly-known marine mammals of the weasel family . They are the most exclusively marine species of the otters of South America, and rarely even venture into freshwater or estuarine habitats....
(Lontra felina)

Genus Pteronura

Giant otter
Giant Otter

The Giant Otter is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the Mustelidae, or weasel family, a globally successful group of predators....
(Pteronura brasiliensis)

Genus Aonyx
Aonyx

Aonyx is a genus of otters, containing three species, the African Clawless Otter, Cameroon Clawless Otter and the Oriental Small-clawed Otter....

African clawless otter
African Clawless Otter

The African Clawless Otter , also known as the Cape Clawless Otter or Groot Otter, is the second largest freshwater species of otter....
(Aonyx capensis)
Congo clawless otter (Aonyx congicus)
Oriental small-clawed otter
Oriental Small-clawed Otter

The Oriental Small-clawed Otter , also known as Asian Small-clawed Otter, is the smallest otter species in the world.The Oriental Small-clawed Otter is found in mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam....
(Aonyx cinerea)

Genus Enhydra
Enhydra

Enhydra is the genus of the sea otter .Enhydra may also refer to:...

Sea otter
Sea Otter

The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 Kilogram , making them the heaviest members of the Mustelidae, but among the smallest marine mammals....
(Enhydra lutris)

Northern river otter

The northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) became one of the major animals hunted and trapped for fur

Fur

Fur is a Hair of any non-human mammal, also known as the pelage. It may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair....
in North America after European contact. River otters eat a variety of fish and shellfish, as well as small land mammals and bird

Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s. They grow to one metre (3 to 4 ft) in length and weigh from five to fifteen kilograms (10 to 30 lb).

In some areas this is a protected species, and some places have otter sanctuaries, which help sick and injured otters to recover.

Sea otter

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) live along the Pacific coast of North America. Their historic range included shallow waters of the Bering Strait

Bering Strait

The Bering Strait is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65? 40' north, slightly south of the polar circle....
and Kamchatka

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a 1,250-kilometer long peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of 472,300 km?. It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west....
, and as far south as Japan. Sea otters have some 200 thousand strands of hair

Hair

Hair is a protein filament that epidermal growth from hair follicle deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats....
per square centimetre of skin

Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
, a rich fur for which humans hunted them almost to extinction. By the time the 1911 Fur Seal Treaty gave them protection, so few sea otters remained that the fur trade had become unprofitable. Sea otters eat shellfish and other invertebrate

Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s (especially clam

Clam

Clam is a word which can be used for all, some, or only a few species of bivalve mollusks; the word is a common name which has no real Taxonomy significance in biology....
s, abalone

Abalone

Abalone are medium-sized to very large edible sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis....
, and sea urchin

Sea urchin

Sea urchins are small, spiny, globular creatures that compose most of class Echinoidea. They are found in oceans all over the world. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm across....
s), frequently using rocks as crude tool

Tool

A broad definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other....
s to smash open shells. They grow to 1.0 to 1.5 metres (2.5 to 5 ft) in length and weigh 30 kilograms (65 lb). Although once near extinction, they have begun to spread again, from remnant populations in California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
and Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
.

Unlike most marine mammals (such as seals

Pinniped

Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae ....
or whale

Whale

Whales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphinsmembers, in other words, of the families Oceanic dolphin or River dolphinnor porpoises....
s), sea otters do not have a layer of insulating blubber

Blubber

Blubber is a thick layer of Blood vessel fat found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians....
. As with other species of otter, they rely on a layer of air trapped in their fur, which they keep topped up by blowing into the fur from their mouths. They spend most of their time in the water, whereas other otters spend much of their time on land.

Eurasian otter

This species (Lutra lutra) inhabits Europe, and its range also extends across most of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
and parts of North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the United Nations subregion of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories:...
. In the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands....
they occurred commonly as recently as the 1950s, but became rare in many areas due to the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticide

Pesticide

A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest .A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest ....
s and as a result of habitat

Habitat (ecology)

A habitat is an ecological or Natural_environment area that is inhabited by a particular animal or plant species. It is the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the physical environment that surrounds a species population....
-loss and water pollution

Pollution

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms ....
(they remained relatively common in parts of Scotland and Ireland). Population levels attained a low point in the 1980s, but are now recovering strongly. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan

Biodiversity Action Plan

This article is about a conservation biology topic. For other uses of BAP, see BAP .A 'Biodiversity Action Plan' is an internationally recognized program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems....
envisages the re-establishment of otters by 2010 in all the UK rivers and coastal areas that they inhabited in 1960. Roadkill

Roadkill

Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicles. Mammals are the animals most likely to be recorded as roadkill....
deaths have become one of the significant threats to the success of their re-establishment.

Giant otter

The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) inhabits South America, especially the Amazon river basin, but is becoming increasingly rare due to poaching, habitat loss, and the use of mercury and other toxins in illegal alluvial gold mining. This gregarious animal grows to a length of up to 1.8 metres (6 ft), and is more aquatic than most other otters.

In popular culture

Religion and mythology

Norse mythology

Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the beliefs, myths and legends of the Norse paganism of the North Germanic language people, including those who settled on Faroe Islands and Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled....
tells of the dwarf

Norse dwarves

Dvergar or Norse dwarves are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate with stones, the underground, deathliness, luck, magic, and technology, especially forging....
Ótr

OTR

Otr or OTR may refer to:* ?tr, a dwarf in Norse mythology* Otr, the abbreviation for the orchid genus Otaara* Coto 47 Airport , an airport that serves Coto 47, Costa Rica...
habitually taking the form of an otter. The myth of Otter's Ransom is the starting point of the Volsunga saga

Volsunga saga

The V?lsunga saga is a legendary saga, a late 13th century in poetry Iceland prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Volsung clan ....
.

In some Native American cultures, otters are considered totem animals.

The otter is held to be a clean animal belonging to Ahura Mazda

Ahura Mazda

Ahura Mazda is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator, hence God.The Zoroastrianism is described by its adherents as Mazdayasna, the worship of Mazda....
in Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster, after whom the religion is named. The term Zoroastrianism is in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism, i.e., the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority....
belief, and taboo to kill.

Media

Gavin Maxwell

Gavin Maxwell Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, FIAL, Fellow of the Zoological Society of Scotland, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society was a Scotland natural history and author, best known for his work with European Otters....
's book Ring of Bright Water
Ring of Bright Water

Ring of Bright Water is a feature film starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in a story about a Londoner and an otter living on the Scottish coast....
tells the tale of how he brought a Smooth-coated Otter

Smooth-coated Otter

The Smooth-coated Otter is a species of otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. The species is found from India east to Southeast Asia, and there is a disjunct population in Iraq....
(Lutrogale perspicillata) back from Iraq

Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and raised it in 'Camusfearna' (Sandaig

Glenelg, Scotland

Glenelg is a village in Skye and Lochalsh, Scottish Highlands, in western Scotland. Its only access is via the 339m Bealach Ratagain from Shiel Bridge on the main Inverness to Isle of Skye road....
), on the west coast of Scotland

Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
.

The Otter Pop is a frozen treat similar to a freezie. It features a cartoon otter on its package.

The animated children's television show PB&J Otter

PB&J Otter

PB&J Otter is an animated children's series which premiered on The Playhouse Disney on March 15, 1998. A total of 65 episodes were produced during the course of its three season run, with the "farewell" episode airing on September 24, 2000....
featured a family of otters as the main characters.

Russell

List of Happy Tree Friends characters

This is a list of fictional characters from Happy Tree Friends. There are 20 main characters, and some other supporting characters. Recently, the creators of Happy Tree Friends announced that there will be more than one character added to Happy Tree Friends in the near future....
, a sea otter and one of main characters from Happy Tree Friends
Happy Tree Friends

Happy Tree Friends is a Flash cartoon series by Mondo Mini Shows, created by Rhode Montijo, Kenn Navarro, Warren Graff, and Aubrey Ankrum. The show has become a popular internet phenomenon since its debut and has also won a cult following....
.

The character Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger

Hermione Jean Granger is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to magic school....
has an otter-shaped patronus charm in the Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a Heptalogy fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter , together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry....
novels.

Gallery

External links

Photographs and Videos of Eurasian Otter. On the same site are photos and videos of Marine otter (Lontra felina), Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), Marine otter (Lontra felina) , Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) and the Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis).