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Otters are amphibious (or in one case aquatic) fish-eating mammals. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre Mustelidae or Mustelids (from Latin mustela, Weasel) commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous Mammals The Oriental Small-clawed Otter, Aonyx cinerea also known as Asian Small-clawed Otter is the smallest Otter in the world The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a Marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Lontra is a genus of Otters from the American continent. The genus comprises four species Northern River Otter ( Lontra Lutra is a Genus of Otters with two species Lutra lutra - European otter Lutra sumatrana Lutrogale is a genus of Otter, with only one extant species - the Smooth-coated otter. The Giant Otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis) is an amphibious mammalian Carnivore native to South America. An aquatic animal is an Animal which lives in water for most or all of the time Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The otter subfamily Lutrinae forms part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others. Taxonomic rank ( rank, category, taxonomic category is an abstract term used in the Scientific classification, or Taxonomy, of organisms In Biological classification, family ( Latin Mustelidae or Mustelids (from Latin mustela, Weasel) commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous Mammals Weasels are Mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. Badger is the Common name for any animal of three subfamilies which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same Mammal family as the With thirteen species in seven genera, otters have an almost worldwide distribution. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic They eat mainly fish, clams, lobsters, shrimp, and mice if they have to.
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Etymology and terminology
The word otter derives from the Old English word otr, otor or oter. This and cognate words in other Indo-European languages ultimately stem from a root which also gave rise to the English words water, wet and winter. The root is the primary lexical unit of a Word, which carries the most significant aspects of semantic content and cannot be reduced into smaller constituents
An otter's den is called a holt. Male otters are dog-otters, females are queens and babies are cubs or pups. The collective noun pack or "romp" is sometimes used for a group of otters, being descriptive of their often playful nature. In Linguistics, a collective noun is a word used to define a group of objects where "objects" can be People, Animals Inanimate things [1]
Characteristics
Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs, with webbed paws. Most have sharp claws on their feet, and all have long muscular tails.
They have a very soft underfur which is protected by their outer layer of long guard hair. This traps a layer of air, and keeps them dry and warm under water.
Diet and behaviour
Otters do not depend on their specialized fur alone for survival in the cold waters where many live: they also have very high metabolic rates. Basal metabolic rate ( BMR) is the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system For example Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body-weight a day, and sea otters, 20 to 25%, depending on the temperature. In water as warm as 10°C (50°F) an otter needs to catch 100 grams (3 oz) of fish per hour to survive. Most species hunt for 3 to 5 hours a day, and nursing mothers up to 8 hours a day.
Most otters have fish as the primary item in their diet, supplemented by frogs, crayfish and crabs. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two This article is about the block cipher algorithm For the ultrafast laser pulse measurement technique see Frequency-resolved optical gating. Crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, or crodgers are freshwater Crustaceans resembling small Lobsters to which they are closely Crabs are decapod Crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (βραχύ / brachy Some are expert at opening shellfish, and others will take any available small mammals or birds. Shellfish is a Culinary and Fisheries term for those aquatic Invertebrate animals that are used as Food: various species of molluscs This prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion.
Otters are very active, chasing prey in the water or searching the beds of rivers, lakes or the sea. Most species live beside water, entering it mainly to hunt or travel, otherwise spending much of their time on land to avoid their fur becoming waterlogged. The sea otter actually lives in the sea.
Otters are playful animals, for example sliding repeatedly down snowy slopes, apparently from sheer enjoyment. Different species vary in their social structure, with some being largely solitary, while others live in groups—in a few species these groups may be fairly large.
Species
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Genus Lutra
- Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra)
- Hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana)
Genus Hydrictis
- Speckle-throated otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)
Genus Lutrogale
- Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
Genus Lontra
- Northern river otter (Lontra canadensis)
- Southern river otter (Lontra provocax)
- Neotropical river otter (Lontra longicaudis)
- Marine otter (Lontra felina)
Genus Pteronura
- Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
Genus Aonyx
- African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis)
- Congo clawless otter (Aonyx congicus)
- Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea)
Genus Enhydra
- Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)
Northern river otter
The northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) became one of the major animals hunted and trapped for fur in North America after European contact. The Giant Otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis) is an amphibious mammalian Carnivore native to South America. Marine Otters (Lontra felina are rare and poorly-known Marine mammals of the weasel family (Family Mustelidae) The Southern river otter (Lontra provocax is a species of Otter that lives in Chile and Argentina. The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a Marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. The hairy-nosed otter ( Lutra sumatrana) is one of the rarest Otter species on earth and was thought to be extinct in 1998 as there had been no sightings for The African Clawless Otter, Aonyx capensis, also known as the Cape Clawless Otter or Groot otter, is the second largest freshwater species of UserPolbot. -->The Cameroon Clawless Otter, Congo Clawless Otter, Small-clawed Otter, Small-toothed Clawless The Oriental Small-clawed Otter, Aonyx cinerea also known as Asian Small-clawed Otter is the smallest Otter in the world The Smooth-coated Otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata) is a species of Otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. Lutra is a Genus of Otters with two species Lutra lutra - European otter Lutra sumatrana The hairy-nosed otter ( Lutra sumatrana) is one of the rarest Otter species on earth and was thought to be extinct in 1998 as there had been no sightings for Lutrogale is a genus of Otter, with only one extant species - the Smooth-coated otter. The Smooth-coated Otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata) is a species of Otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. Lontra is a genus of Otters from the American continent. The genus comprises four species Northern River Otter ( Lontra The Southern river otter (Lontra provocax is a species of Otter that lives in Chile and Argentina. Marine Otters (Lontra felina are rare and poorly-known Marine mammals of the weasel family (Family Mustelidae) The Giant Otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis) is an amphibious mammalian Carnivore native to South America. The Giant Otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis) is an amphibious mammalian Carnivore native to South America. The African Clawless Otter, Aonyx capensis, also known as the Cape Clawless Otter or Groot otter, is the second largest freshwater species of UserPolbot. -->The Cameroon Clawless Otter, Congo Clawless Otter, Small-clawed Otter, Small-toothed Clawless The Oriental Small-clawed Otter, Aonyx cinerea also known as Asian Small-clawed Otter is the smallest Otter in the world The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a Marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a Marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. River otters eat a variety of fish and shellfish, as well as small land mammals and birds. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. They grow to one metre (3 to 4 ft) in length and weigh from five to fifteen kilograms (10 to 30 lb).
In some areas this is a protected species, and some places have otter sanctuaries, which help ill and injured otters to recover.
Sea otter
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) live along the Pacific coast of North America. Morro Bay is a waterfront city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) is a Marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Their historic range included shallow waters of the Bering Strait and Kamchatka, and as far south as Japan. The Bering Strait (Берингов пролив Beringov proliv) is a sea Strait between Cape Dezhnev, Russia, the easternmost point (169°43' Sea otters have some 200 thousand strands of hair per square centimetre of skin, a rich fur for which humans hunted them almost to extinction. Hair is a keratinised protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the Dermis. The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant By the time the 1911 Fur Seal Treaty gave them protection, so few sea otters remained that the fur trade had become unprofitable.
Sea otters eat shellfish and other invertebrates (especially clams, abalone, and sea urchins ), frequently using rocks as crude tools to smash open shells. An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate Clam is a word which can be used for all some or only a few Species of Bivalve Mollusks the word is a Common name which has Abalone (from Spanish Abulón) are medium-sized to very large edible sea Snails marine Gastropod Mollusks in the Sea urchins are small globular spiny sea cat animals composing most of class Echinoidea. A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other They grow to 1. 0 to 1. 5 metres (2. 5 to 5 ft) in length and weigh 30 kilograms (65 lb). Although once near extinction, they have begun to spread again, from remnant populations in California and Alaska. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent
Unlike most marine mammals (such as seals or whales), sea otters do not have a layer of insulating blubber. Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized Fat found under the skin of all Cetaceans Pinnipeds and Sirenians Description As with other species of otter, they rely on a layer of air trapped in their fur, which they keep topped up by blowing into the fur from their mouths. They spend most of their time in the water, whereas other otters spend much of their time on land.
Eurasian otter
This species (Lutra lutra) inhabits Europe, and its range also extends across most of Asia and parts of North Africa. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan In the British Isles they occurred commonly as recently as the 1950s, but became rare in many areas due to the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides and as a result of habitat-loss and water pollution (they remained relatively common in parts of Scotland and Ireland). The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan Applications The simplest form of organochlorides are chlorinated Hydrocarbons These consist of simple Hydrocarbons in which one or more hydrogen atoms have A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in Population levels attained a low point in the 1980s, but are now recovering strongly. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan envisages the re-establishment of otters by 2010 in all the UK rivers and coastal areas that they inhabited in 1960. This article is about a conservation biology topic For other uses of BAP see BAP (disambiguation. Roadkill deaths have become one of the significant threats to the success of their re-establishment. RoadKill is a Video game of the action genre released in 2003 by Midway Games.
Giant otter
The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) inhabits South America, especially the Amazon river basin, but is becoming increasingly rare due to poaching, habitat loss, and the use of mercury and other toxins in illegal alluvial gold mining. The Giant Otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis) is an amphibious mammalian Carnivore native to South America. This gregarious animal grows to a length of up to 1. 8 yards (6 ft), and is more aquatic than most other otters.
Cultural references
Norse mythology tells of the dwarf Ótr habitually taking the form of an otter. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland Dvergar or Norse dwarves ( Old Norse dvergar, sing dvergr) are highly significant entities in Norse mythology, who associate In Norse mythology, Ótr (alternately Ott, Oter, Otr, Ottar, Ottarr, Otter) is a dwarf. The myth of Otter's Ransom[4] is the starting point of the Volsunga saga. The Völsunga saga is a Legendary saga, a late 13th century Icelandic prose rendition of the origin and decline of the Volsung clan
In some Native American cultures, otters are considered totem animals. A totem is any supposed entity that watches over or assists a group of people such as a family Clan or tribe ( Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Webster's
The otter is held to be a clean animal belonging to Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrian belief, and taboo to kill. Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings [5]
In the Harry Potter books, Hermione Granger's patronus is an otter. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J Hermione Jean Granger For the fictional "charm" which is mentioned in the Harry Potter series of novels see Patronus Charm Latin translation
Gallery
 Oriental small-clawed otter |
 Long-tailed otter in Tortuguero, Costa Rica |
 otters at the Perth Zoo, Western Australia |
 Eurasian otter |
References and further reading
- ^ "Birds of a feather..." (July/August 2004). Natural History 113 (6): 71.
- ^ Koepfli KP, Deere KA, Slater GJ, et al (2008). "Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation". BMC Biol. 6 (1): 4–5. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. PMID 18275614.
- ^ Bininda-Emonds OR, Gittleman JL, Purvis A (1999). "Building large trees by combining phylogenetic information: a complete phylogeny of the extant Carnivora (Mammalia)". Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 74 (2): 143-75. PMID 10396181.
- ^ The Otter's Ransom. Retrieved on 2007-07-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England.
- ^ Cooper, JC (1992). Symbolic and Mythological Animals. London: Aquarian Press, p. 171-72. ISBN 1-85538-118-4.
- Gallant, D. , L. Vasseur, & C. H. Bérubé (2007). Unveiling the limitations of scat surveys to monitor social species: a case study on river otters. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:258–265.
External links
Dictionary
otter
-noun
- Any aquatic or marine carnivorous mammal, member of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, and others.
- a hairy man, thin, not heavyset, especially one who is gay (c.f. bear)
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