You’d expect otters and beavers to be closely related; after all, they’re both furry creatures that spend large portions of their day in the water. Weirdly enough, however, they don’t even belong to the same family.
In fact, you could say they’re otterly different! While both are mammals, otters are carnivorous and more closely related to the weasel.
Would you believe there are 13 different otter species, which are divided into two distinct groups – river otters and sea otters? The lutra genus contains all the world’s river otters, while sea otters belong to the Enhydra genus.
Wild otters all have a few things in common, including their basic physiology and love of water. With their dense fur coats and webbed feet, they are perfectly adapted to an aquatic environment and spend most of their time in the water.
Even with that thick fur, otters have had to make physiological adaptations so they can keep warm. Sea otters live in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and rely on their fast metabolisms to generate enough heat to stay warm.
Another characteristic shared by all otter species is that they are one of the few animals to have inbuilt pockets! Under their forearms, otters have flaps of skin into which they can stash food and useful tools like rocks.
They can’t fit a cell phone in there yet, but who knows where evolution’s headed?
Despite its adorable appearance, the otter can be surprisingly merciless and violent if the situation demands it. Studies have discovered a nasty side to the sea otter, with scientists observing males harassing and sexually interacting with young harbor seals.
Even when reproducing with their own kind, male sea otters are so violent that the trauma can prove fatal for their partners.
River otters aren’t much better and will defend their territories aggressively if provoked. There are even reports of them attacking humans, crocodiles, and alligators!
Of course, there is an otter side to the story (excuse the pun!), and that’s the critical role otters play in their aquatic ecosystems. As apex predators, river otters control the populations of their prey species.
Without sea otters, sea urchins would proliferate, destroying the kelp forests that absorb and sequester so much of the world’s carbon.
Is the Lifespan of the Pet Otter the Same as that of Wild Animals?
Wild animals face numerous threats, from predators to disease, which is why domesticated animals often survive longer.
This is no different for the otter, and pet otters can survive for up to 20 years, while those in the wild have a life expectancy of between 10 to 15 years.
That’s hardly surprising when you consider that mortality for river otter pups sits at over 50% in their second year and that significant numbers of female sea otters die from the injuries the males inflict during mating.
That doesn’t mean finding yourself a pet otter is the best way of protecting the species, and I’ll explain why a little later on.
Playing the mating game for a female sea otter is a painful experience that often ends with her having a bloody, swollen nose.
Male sea otters often hold onto their partner’s nose with their teeth to keep themselves in position.
Buy OttersRiver otters don’t seem quite so aggressive and will even mate on land if they’re feeling particularly brazen.
After copulating, the male and female otters part company, leaving the female to raise the cubs alone.
Clawless and river otters are only pregnant for a couple of months, after which they give birth to a small litter of between one and six cubs.
This gestation period is the same for marine and smooth-coated otters as well, but sea otters practice delayed implantation which can postpone the pregnancy for up to 10 months.
When they do finally give birth, they only have one or two pups, of which there will only be one sole survivor (just like on the reality TV show!)
You’d have to do a lot of research to establish just how many otters there are in the world. Otters live in a wide range of semi-aquatic habitats, from the icy world of the Alaskan sea otter to the African clawless otter that languishes in the heat of sub-Saharan Africa. Trying to count them all is simply impossible!
What we do know is that some populations of sea otters are gradually recovering after being virtually decimated during the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were heavily hunted for their rich fur pelts.
What we do know is that some populations of sea otters are gradually recovering after being virtually decimated during the 18th and 19th centuries, when they were heavily hunted for their rich fur pelts.
Sadly, the latest exotic pet trend has seen other otter species diminishing. The Asian small-clawed otter was once abundant throughout most of Southeast Asia, but their population is declining rapidly. Other otters are near threatened, while others, like the hairy-nosed otter, are facing possible extinction.
When I see a cute pet otter video, it’s the fur that really gets me. It’s so thick and glossy I just want to bury my face in it! I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels that way; after all, otters have the thickest, densest fur of any mammal in the world.
Yes, it’s thicker than panda fur and fuzzier than a koala! Why? Because otters need to stay warm, even when they can’t stay dry, and they don’t have the layer of blubber that seals and other aquatic mammals use to insulate themselves.
If you examine an otter’s fur under a microscope, you’ll find millions of hairs in every square inch of skin. These hairs are dense and spiky, meaning they can trap air between themselves and the otter’s skin, creating an insulating layer.
Unfortunately, being wrapped in a blanket of air isn’t very useful when you’re trying to swim underwater, so otters will sometimes fill their underarm pockets with stones to counter the air’s buoyancy. Intriguing, hey?
Here in South Africa, we can always tell where a clawless otter had dinner from the mess of shells they leave behind. That’s because this otter species feeds mainly on crabs. Other otter species are less selective, eating everything from frogs to insects, with the occasional crayfish thrown in for good measure.
Giant otters eat mainly fish, while other species, including the endangered southern otter, experiment with birds, preying on gulls, cormorants, and western grebes. Other otter species also take rodents and even rabbits if the opportunity arises.
There are even reports of otters killing and eating small alligators, beavers, snapping turtles, and even snakes.
When you’re aware of how diverse the otter’s diet is, you start to realize how difficult it must be to keep an otter as a pet. There’s nothing cute about watching your pet otter devour your daughter’s gerbil or set to work on your favorite snake!
0 تعليقات