Many people do not consider these cute creatures to be pests, but if you live near a water source that has a family of otters in it, you may feel differently. Examples of natural hollows include those in riverbanks, under logs, hollow trees and logs, rock formations, undercut banks, flood debris, and backwater sloughs. Adult otters may become defensive if they feel like their offspring is being threatened. Held every year during the last week in September, Sea Otter Awareness Week spotlights the important role of sea otters in … River otters are incredible swimmers. Otter, any of 13–14 species of semiaquatic mammals that belong to the weasel family and are noted for their playfulness. They also use their agile front paws to find and grasp their prey. Reproduction. Like their cousins—such as weasels, ferrets—most otters have a pair of scent glands at the base of the tail, which they use for scent marking their territories. Although both animals swim, it is easy to tell them apart. The Giant River Otter from the Amazon lives in packs, as do North American river otters, female Southern river otters, (males are solitary). Unlike sea otters, river otters catch their prey with their mouths, not their paws. Like most wild animals, they are known to attack if threatened. The otter is lithe and slender with short legs, a strong neck, and a long flat tail that helps propel it gracefully through water. They can dive up to 60 feet and stay underwater for as long as four minutes. Well, because of that otter and its tracks, I now understand at least one otter much better than before, and feel like I can write with a little more authority about otters in general. Ain’t no party like a sea otter party! They’re buoyant, so they don’t drown in the water, but they have to learn to swim from their moms, just like us! They can grow to be more than a meter long, from head to tail, and weight up to 14 kg. The mammals like to keep things organized within their communities and will designate certain areas to … Using their webbed feet, which are well adapted for swimming, sea otters can dive more than 200 feet and stay underwater for up to 5 minutes. Although they may look adorable, otters can be dangerous around humans, pets, and children. However, otters differ from their land-dwelling cousins in a very important way: they are specially adapted for life in the water. They grow to one meter (3 to 4 ft) in length and weigh from five to 15 kilograms (10 to 30 lb). Otter Habitat. River otters eat a variety of fish and shellfish, as well as small land mammals and birds. In the water, they will sometimes pop their heads up like periscopes to see what is going on around them, and then dive back down after a few seconds. The European river otter is extremely territorial. A river otter has attacked two teenage cousins as they played on a rope swing in a US river, in scenes described by their grandmother as 'like something out of Jaws'. Age range: Adaptable for ages 1 to 8 years If you’ve visited either our North American river otters or Asian small-clawed otters, you probably know at least one thing about them—very few animals are as devoted to play as otters! River Otter (Lutra canadensis) 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. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) became one of the major animals hunted and trapped for fur in North America after European contact.