Animal Unique | Otter | Endangere The Otters are twelve kinds of semi-aquatic (or in one case aquatic) mammals that feed on fish and shellfish, but also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals. The otter subfamily Lutrinae belongs to the family of mustelids, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers and wolverines.
Nomenclature OtterThe word otter derives from the Old English word or Otor Oteren. These and related words in other Indo-European languages ultimately stem from the PIE root * wódr̥ which also gave rise to the English word water. An Otter's Den is called a cavity or a bank. A male otter is a dog, a female a bitch, a baby and a whelp, kit or pup. Citation needed The collective nouns for otters crowd, family, lodge or romp, descriptive of their often playful nature, or when in the water raft.
Nomenclature OtterThe word otter derives from the Old English word or Otor Oteren. These and related words in other Indo-European languages ultimately stem from the PIE root * wódr̥ which also gave rise to the English word water. An Otter's Den is called a cavity or a bank. A male otter is a dog, a female a bitch, a baby and a whelp, kit or pup. Citation needed The collective nouns for otters crowd, family, lodge or romp, descriptive of their often playful nature, or when in the water raft.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammal
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Lutrinae Gestation
The time of pregnancy in otters is about 60 to 86 days. The newborn pup is provided by the mother, father, and all other descendants. Female otters reach sexual maturity at about two years old, while males can produce offspring at around three years old. After one month, the young otter from the cave, and after two months, it can swim. It lives with his family for about one year, so it can learn and be safely kept until maturity. Otters live to 16 years.
Features OtterOtters have long, slender bodies and relatively short limbs, with webbed feet. Most have sharp claws on their feet, and all except the sea otter have long muscular tail. The twelve species vary in adult size from 0.6 to 1.8 meters (2-6 feet) long and 1-45 kilograms (2.2 to 100 pounds) in weight. The Oriental small claws otter is the smallest otter species and large otters and sea otters are the largest. They have a very soft, insulated undercoat that is protected by an outer layer of long guard hair. These include a layer of air, and keeps them dry and warm under water.
Many otters live in cold water and have a high metabolism to help keep them warm. Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body weight per day, and sea otters, 20 to 25% depending on temperature. In water as warm as 10 ° C (50 ° F), an otter to 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of fish caught per hour to survive. Most species hunt for three to five hours a day, and nursing mothers up to eight hours a day.
For most otters, fish is the staple of their diet. This is often supplemented by frogs, lobsters and crabs. Some otters are expert at opening shellfish, and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey dependence leaves otters are very vulnerable to prey depletion.
Otters are very active, chasing prey in the water or search for the beds of rivers, lakes or the sea. Most species live along the water, but river otters usually just enter to hunt or travel, or spend much of their time on land to prevent their fur with water. Sea otters are highly aquatic and live in the ocean for most of their lives. Otters are playful animals and seem to participate in different behaviors for pure pleasure. Different species differ in their social structure, with a few largely solitary, while others live in groups - in a few species of these groups can be quite large
Animal Discovery And Animal Unique In The World