It is hard to resist cute and playful animals. We love to look at puppies and kittens as they romp and play. The animals are curious as they check out the world. Some animals even enjoy an audience. They invent games and toys to just enjoy life. One playful animal that is cute to watch are Otters. Otters are famous for inventing games and their playfulness. They might slide down a hill over and over. Otters also just float on their backs in the water or roll over. However they can be quite destructive as some zoos and aquariums have learned. These zoos and aquariums came up with creative ways to occupy the otters. One idea was freezing the fish, crab, crawfish that they eat in ice so they otters could bang the ice to get to the treat. This kept them from destroying their enclosure.
Otters belong to the subfamily Lutrinae. There are 13 species of otters and all are either semi aquatic, aquatic, or marine. They belong to the same family as weasels and honey badgers. Otters are mammals. The babies are called pups and are born live. Otters are known for long bodies covered in fur plus webbed feet to aid in swimming. Like seals they are able to breathe underwater. Otter pups are able to swim at two months of age. The word Otter comes from the Old English word Oter which eventually led to the word water. Their diet is made of fish and they can break open shellfish on their stomachs.
An otter makes its home in a den called a couch or holt located near the water. Some otters maybe solitary but most live in groups. They live up to 16 years. Since several live in colder climates, otters do have high metabolism rates and must eat up to 20% of their body weight.
Otters are known for their playful nature. Adults and pups are often seen frolicking together in and around the water’s edge. They will engage in different behaviors just because its fun. That is something we all could learn to do. An otter’s motto but be “the day is young lets just enjoy it”. They will slide down a homemade water slide over and over just because it is fun. Otters will find small stones to play with. Many otters in zoos and aquariums will often see if they have an audience. They can be such show offs! Watch the video below! These river Otters are having a blast!
