Few sea otter species emerge on land either for giving birth or for resting. They are now recovering strongly. Otters have a slender body, a long neck, and short legs. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are classified as marine mammals. Amazing Facts About the Otter. So, before you go, here’s everything you need to know about what makes Giant Otters so special. It is also known as the Guiana flat-tailed otter, margin-tailed otter and winged-tailed otter. Sea Otter Facts. Fun Facts about Otters for Kids. They have very soft, insulated underfur, which is protected by an outer layer of long guard hairs. Once they catch it, they bring it to the top of the water, where they eat it. Clearly, otters know how to have fun! They’ve been around for more than 5 million years. Otters have been around for at least 5 million years. Much of their food is found in water. Once they catch it, they bring it to the top of the water, where they eat it. Sea otters rest and sleep by floating on their backs. Otters are aquatic (water-based) relatives of badgers and weasels. They also love to play. They eat meat and hunt for fish and small animals, so they have sharp claws and teeth that allow them to catch prey, then eat them. The North American river otter, also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a species of otter. Otters are great swimmers and divers. Otters grab their prey in their mouths. Top Facts about Otters. However, sea otters are typically marine mammals. Otter is a common name for a carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae. Sea Otter Facts For Kids The nostrils and ears of sea otters close in the water. California’s southern sea otter has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1977. They can die of hunger more quickly than most animals. This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about otters across 18 in-depth pages. Do giant otters live in a group? River Otter Facts: Lesson for Kids | Study.com Who is shaped like a torpedo, has whiskers like a cat, and has webbed feet like a duck? While river otters spend most of their time in water, they do travel across land as wellâoften in search of a mate. Otters are adorable creatures that live both on land and in the water. Sea otters have about 26,000 to 165,000 hairs per square centimeters of skin. They have a thick fur coat that keeps them warm even in freezing water. Otters are animals that live near and around water. They even love to live in swamp and marsh areas. The Giant otter was discovered by Gmelin in 1788. Otters are very social creatures. River otters generally live along rivers, as their name implies, but they're also found near streams and lakes. On they ground, they can run very fast. A group of otters is called a "romp", because they play together and are energetic. The otters at Durrell are Asian small-clawed otters who live in lakes, rivers, rice fields and canals in SE Asia. They stayed relatively common in parts of Scotland and Ireland, but numbers in England reached a low point in the 1980s. They can be seen sliding down hills and slopes, as well as chasing other otters for fun. Watch a music video about a sleepy little otter featuring a song by Parry Gripp! Hunting of otters was also common. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. They hunt underwater, skillfully chasing fish, their main food. Otters are closely related to badgers. Sea otters live in the northern Pacific Ocean, along the coasts of California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Russia and Japan. They are expert swimmers and spend much of their time hunting for prey in water, where they catch mainly fish and invertebrates. Fun Facts About Otter. They are, http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/otters/physical-characteristics.htm, https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/w/index.php?title=Otter&oldid=4989524. Otters are most active at night. Because they spent so much time in cold water, they have to groom their fur often to stop themselves from freezing. Otters prefer water bordered by woods and with wetlands, such as marshes, nearby. As they dive, they close their ears and nostrils to keep water out. They dive in rivers, lakes and streams until they can find a suitable animal to eat, which they then chase. Otter babies are called pups. 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. They like to slide off embankments into the water, wrestle, chase their tails and participate in other fun games. An otter family will defend a territory and use scent to mark the territory boundaries. In the wild, these otters eat crabs, shellfish and small fish like gouramis or catfish. They eat fish, shellfish, and other water animals. Fun Facts for Kids. What they look like: The River Otter is built for swimming - they have a streamlined body, short legs with webbed feet, dense fur that keeps them warm, a tapered tail, small ears, and nostrils that can close underwater. Generally, the male sea otters grows from 3.11 to 4.11 feet in length and weighs around 49 to 99 pounds. [1] They keep the air topped up by blowing into the fur with their mouth. Not all otters use tools, but sea otters use them all the time. Otters even make their land travel look playful. Giant ottters are very sociable animals and often live in groups of up … They are also very curious and like to investigate new things.Otters spend a good part of their day grooming themselves. They usually stay on all four legs, but they can stand up as well but they are expert swimmers and spend a lot of time in water. Scientists have also learnt a whole lot more from otters including these five fast facts: There are 13 species of otter. Otters live on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. There are 13 species of otter found all around the world. They are able to stay well hidden in these types of environments which makes them less like to fall victim to a variety of predators on land. Some content of the original page may have been edited to make it more suitable for younger readers, unless otherwise noted. It also included Kamchatka, and as far south as Japan. I recently found out that sea otters fall asleep holding paws and my heart has never been so full. They will eat any small animals and birds they can catch. It is found throughout North America, inhabiting inland waterways and coastal areas in Canada, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of Mexico. Otter Worksheets. The European otter (Lutra lutra) was common as recently as the 1950s, but became rare because of DDT pesticides, habitat loss and water pollution. It's a river otter! They usually stay on all four legs, but they can stand up as well but they are expert swimmers and spend a lot of time in water. They eat fish, crayfish, crabs, and frogs. They have a thick fur coat that keeps them warm even in freezing water. Otters are part of the Mustelid family of animals which also includes badgers, pine martens and weasels. Otters are carnivores; they must eat a lot of meat to live, so they spend 3 to 5 hours every day fishing and hunting. Currently the southern sea otter population is estimated at just above 3,000 animals. This fur is so thick … This traps a layer of air which keeps them dry and warm under water. Otters are playful and energetic. Sea otters use rocks to break open clam and mussel shells. During which time otters have adapted to live both on land and in water. Otters are now quite common, especially in the west of England. Otters are very playful animals and have been seen sliding down snowdrifts or mud banks on their bellies. An otter lives about 10 years. They eat fish, crayfish, crabs, and frogs. Otters are long and slim animals with four short legs that can be longer than a meter. Sea otters are incredibly clean and keep their waterproof coats in perfect condition. All rights reserved. They prefer slow-moving rivers, lakes, swamps and flooded forests during the rainy season. There are 13 species of otter around the world and many of them are endangered. They are a part of the animal family Mustelid. The European or Eurasian otter is often referred to as the common otter. If the animal has a hard shell, otters can use a rock as a tool to break open the shell. Otters are carnivores; they must eat a lot of meat to live, so they spend 3 to 5 hours every day fishing and hunting. Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands when sleeping to prevent drifting. Fun Facts for Kids. Did you know… Otters are carnivores? There are 13 types of otters in the world. [2] They have a rich fur for which humans hunted them almost to extinction. An otter pup's fur is too dense for it to swim underwater. They frequently carry a rock in a pouch under their forearm. Also, their feet are webbed, which helps them swim. When the otters catch large fish, they haul them onto shore to dine. Flexing their long bodies up and down, paddling with their webbed hind feet, and using their feet and strong tails to steer, river otters are underwater acrobats. So, their mother leaves them floating while … Some of the best known are the giant otter, the sea otter, the European otter, the Northern river otter among others. Otters place a rock on their chests and smash the shellfish against it until it breaks open to reveal the tasty meat inside. They run a few steps and then slide on their bellies. Giant otters produce 9 different vocalizations and are very loud. Otters like to hold hands. Their tail is over a foot long A raft is usually comprised of single-sex sea otters that can range from 10 to a hundred individuals. GIANT OTTERS ARE SUPER CHATTY. Otters can dive 300 feet down in water while looking for food. Otters are fun creatures to watch and they are highly intelligent. These are ready-to-use Otter worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the otters which are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. There are many different kinds of otters. The fur of a sea otter is usually dark but it can also be shades of white or grey. They have webbed feet and the ability to close their nose and ears underwater. They live along the Pacific coast of North America. Can otters use tools? A group of otters is called a raft, according to the San Diego Zoo. Most of us don’t know much about them so here are some facts to help you educate yourself about them. They can die of hunger more quickly than most animals. Their historic range included shallow waters of the Bering Strait. Otters live 8 to 9 years in the wilderness, and as many as 21 years when living with people. They are typically 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 meters) long and weigh between 6.5 and 60 pounds (3 and 27 kilograms). Otters are very playful: Don’t be surprised when you see otters happily sliding. Unlike other otter … The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. Much of their food is found in water. They live in nests called holts. Some live near rivers, some in the sea (sea otters). Otters are long and slim animals that can be longer than a meter. Content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Sea Otter Facts For Kids. They can stay underwater for up to four minutes. Sea otters play a vital role in the health and stability of the nearshore marine ecosystem as a keystone species They dive in rivers, lakes and streams until they can find a suitable animal to eat, which they then chase. Otters prefer water bordered by woods and with wetlands, such as marshes, nearby. This makes them one of the few animals that use tools. Their fur is often brown at the top, and lighter underneath the Otter. They groom their fur so it stays water-repellent. It’s one of the things … They will eat any small animals and birds they can catch. Giant otters are endemic (live only there and nowhere else) for the South America, and they can be found in the Orinoco, Amazon and La Plata River systems. Giant Otter Facts. Although once near extinction, they have begun to spread again, from remnant populations in California and Alaska. They take a nap at mid-day during really warm weather. They typically use … They are great swimmers and divers; they can stay underwater for 8 minutes. A group of otters are called a 'bevy', 'family', 'lodge', or 'romp', or, when in water the group is called a … Each European otter within its territory of between 1 and 4 miles has fixed locations where it gets into and exits from the water, sunbathing, rolling and sliding about on "otter stairways". Content of this web page is sourced from wikipedia ( http://simple.wikipedia.org). The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use Privacy Policy. They use this to smash open shells. They grow to 1.0 to 1.5 m (3.3 to 4.9 ft) in length and weigh 30 kg (66 lb). The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. Their thick and long tail helps them steer while swimming underwater. These animals are most active from 10-11 am and from 3-5 pm. Otters talk to other animals and otters with whistles, growls, chuckles and screams, as well as chirps, squeals, and some kinds of otters might even purr. Flexing their long bodies up and down, paddling with their … This page was last changed on 29 September 2020, at 11:12. Otters love fish. Most live on shorelines of freshwater rivers and lakes, but a few hunt along seaside coasts. They also leave their scent on plants to mark their territory. They have very soft, insulated underfur, which is protected by an outer layer of long guard hairs. The charismatic otter, a member of the weasel family, is found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Otters prefer to live in bodies of water that are close to land offering them wetlands or the woods close by. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- Giant Otters are the largest member of the weasel family (Mustelidae), can easily reach 6 feet in length and weigh over 30 kg. Otters consume mainly … In 2014, a study of giant otters found that the river-dwellers … Giant otter belongs to a family of carnivorous mammals called mustelid. Roadkill deaths are now happening more. They are also nocturnal and hunt at night. Sea otter is the heaviest mustelid with the weight measuring at 22 – 45 kg (49 – 99 lb) in males; and the length measures around 1.2 – 1.5 m (3 ft 10 in to 4 ft 10 in). It can be fun to test out your knowledge as you go. This traps a layer of air which keeps them dry and warm under water.They keep the air topped up by blowing into the fur with their mo… Some kinds of otters live in groups, while others are almost always alone. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/river-otter.html. If the animal has a hard shell, otters can u… They can grow to be more than a meter long, from head to tail, and weight up to 14 kg. They have four short legs.