The otter is a very playful animal and are believe to take part in some activities just for the enjoyment. Sea Otter Facts: Habitat: Northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. This traps a layer of air which keeps them dry an… It is native to Eurasia. The sea otter has long whiskers and water-repellent coat that insulates the animal from freezing water. They keep the air topped up by blowing into the fur with their mouth. On average, an adult male California sea otter consumes over 4,000 calories daily. Furry, playful and very, very smart, otters are beloved for their adorable antics and sweet appearance. It is also called the European otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter, and Old World otter. The North American river otter was one of the most hunted animals for its fur after Europeans arrived. River otters are just one species of the 13 species of otters found throughout the world, and they live to be about 8 years old in the wild. Groups of about 5 to 10 otters live together in dens or burrows beside a river. Through to the large Giant otter and Sea otters who can reach 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and 45 kg (99.2 lb). Check out our range of fun otter facts for kids. 4 Otters have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm and can close their ears and nose when swimming.Bubbles of air trapped in their fur give them a silvery appearance underwater. They usually stay on all four legs, but they can stand up as well but they are expert swimmers and spend a lot of time in water. //-->, Science Kids ©  |  Home  |  About  |  Topics  |  Experiments  |  Games  |  Facts  |  Quizzes  |  Projects  |  Lessons  |  Images  |  Videos  |  Privacy  |  Sitemap  |  Updated: Apr 11, 2020. It also included Kamchatka, and as far south as Japan. It can grow up to 2.4m (8ft) long from nose to tail. In these tales the smart kawauso often fool humans, kind of like a fox. 1. Otters prefer water bordered by woods and with wetlands, such as marshes, nearby. An otter family will defend a territory and use scent to mark the territory boundaries. The European or Eurasian otter is often referred to as the common otter. They dive in rivers, lakes and streams until they can find a suitable animal to eat, which they then chase. There are many different kinds of otters. The size of the California (or southern) sea otters is about 4 feet. They are now recovering strongly. It is also found in many parts of Asia, and parts of northern Africa. Unlike most marine mammals, otters do not have a layer of insulating blubber. The otter is a carnivorous mammal in a branch of the weasel family called Lutrinae. June 26, 2018. iStock. They frequently carry a rock in a pouch under their forearm. google_ad_width = 728; Sea otters wrap themselves in kelp or hold hands when sleeping to prevent drifting. The European otter or Eurasian otter, are found in Europe, Asia, parts of North Africa and the British Isles. Once they catch it, they bring it to the top of the water, where they eat it. The giant otter is the largest of all the otter species. Their thick and long tail helps them steer while swimming underwater. Here are 16 Interesting Otter facts. Their historic range included shallow waters of the Bering Strait. They stayed relatively common in parts of Scotland and Ireland, but numbers in England reached a low point in the 1980s. /* sci facts 728 */ They eat fish, shellfish, and other water animals. They are also very vocal and communicate use a variety of calls. Sea otters are found in the offshore environments and they come to the surface to forage. google_ad_client = "pub-4643150179421087"; They usually stay on all four legs, but they can stand up as well but they are expert swimmers and spend a lot of time in water. Otters prefer to live in bodies of water that are close to land offering them wetlands or the woods close by. Otter Sock Puppet! There are 13 species of otters, in seven genera, according to Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). To help mark their habitat on land they will purposely leave droppings behind. A group of otters are called a 'bevy', 'family', 'lodge', or 'romp', or, when in water the group is called a 'raft'. The female sea otters are smaller as they grow up to 4.7 feet in length and weigh up to 73 pounds. Otters are long and slim animals with four short legs that can be longer than a meter. – Source 13. They have a rich fur for which humans hunted them almost to extinction. It has short tail and webbed-feet with retractable front claws. A group of otters is called a raft, according to the San Diego Zoo. Most live on shorelines of freshwater rivers and lakes, but a few hunt along seaside coasts. Funny! An otter must consume 25% of its bodyweight in prey each day just to stay alive (for a 75 lb kid, that’s 75 1/4 lb burgers!). They stayed relatively common in parts of Scotland and Ireland, but numbers in England reached a low point in the 1980s. Learn where the otter lives, what they eat, what a group of otters is called, the names of various otter species and much more. 16 Playful Facts About Otters. Otter Facts and Information. They eat fish, crayfish, crabs, and frogs. In the wild the otters are under threat from habitat destruction and pollution may be affecting food availability. Otters are part of the Mustelid family of animals which also includes badgers, pine martens and weasels. They come in many sizes. Sea otters have about 26,000 to 165,000 hairs per square centimeters of skin. google_ad_slot = "5655995158"; This traps a layer of air which keeps them dry and warm under water. Introduction to Otters. Mishka is an asthmatic otter who uses an inhaler. Otters have a slender body, a long neck, and short legs. It lives in the rivers and swamps of tropical South America, forming noisy family groups that often hunt together. Some make waterslides to slide down into the water! They are also nocturnal and hunt at night. If the animal has a hard shell, otters can use a rock as a tool to break open the shell. Much of their food is found in water. Their nickname is the “sea beaver.” Sea otter is the heaviest mustelid with the weight measuring at 22 – 45 kg (49 – 99 lb) in males; and the length measures around 1.2 – 1.5 m (3 ft 10 in to 4 ft 10 in). Otters are very playful animals and have been seen sliding down snowdrifts or mud banks on their bellies. The males of this subspecies weigh around 65 pounds while females are 45 pounds in weight. The coolest of all otter facts is that they use tools to crack open the shells of crabs and clams. Fun Facts for Kids. Flexing their long bodies up and down, paddling with their webbed hind … Amazing Facts About the Otter. The Giant otter is found in South America around the Amazon river basin. Sea otters can stay underwater for 5 minutes, and river otters can hold their breath for even longer - 8 minutes! Otters are a popular animal in Japanese folklore where they are called "kawauso". “Otter Facts For Kids” This video is See Full Post Cuteness! Sea otter is the heaviest and the second smallest aquatic member of weasel family. European otter. If otters fascinate you, below are some interesting otter facts. Otters live on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. Cute! Otters live in family groups and the parents have a strong pair bond. They live along the Pacific coast of North America. The northern sea otters can weigh as much as 100 pounds. They mainly eat fish but also frogs, crayfish and crabs, some species carry a rock to help smash open shellfish. Sea otters are the only otters to give birth in the water. VIDEO: OTTER FACTS FOR KIDS! Four of the main otter species include the European otter, the North American river otter, the Sea otter, and the Giant otter. A group of otters is called a "romp", because they play together and are energetic. Otter is a common name for a carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae. Sea Otter Facts For Kids Sea otter is the heaviest mustelid with the weight measuring at 22 – 45 kg (49 – 99 lb) in males; and the length measures around 1.2 – 1.5 m (3 ft 10 in to 4 ft 10 in). 11. They are able to stay well hidden in these types of environments which makes them less like to fall victim to a variety of predators on land. otter facts for kids sea otters 2. sea otters otters have 1.6. to 2.6. million hairs purr square inch. Two species are marine; the others live mostly in fresh water. At birth, the weight of a pup is 3 to 5 pounds. Fun Facts for Kids. Otter Facts: Hunting, Feeding, and Entertainment Otters are carnivores. A raft is usually comprised of single-sex sea otters that can range from 10 to a hundred individuals. The otter is lithe and slender with short legs, a strong neck, and a long flat tail that helps propel it gracefully through water. Each European otter within its territory of between 1 and 4 miles has fixed locations where it gets into and exits from the water, sunbathing, rolling and sliding about on "otter stairways". They are expert swimmers and spend much of their time hunting for prey in water, where they catch mainly fish and invertebrates. Some live near rivers, some in the sea (Sea Otters). Otters are very playful animals and have been seen sliding down snowdrifts or mud banks on their bellies. They prefer slow-moving rivers, lakes, swamps and flooded forests during the rainy season. //-->. Otters are carnivores; they must eat a lot of meat to live, so they spend 3 to 5 hours every day fishing and hunting. The European otter (Lutra lutra) was common as recently as the 1950s, but became rare because of DDT pesticides, habitat loss and water pollution. Sea otters spend approximately 9 to 12 hours foraging each day. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are classified as marine mammals. But the sea otter’s habitat is unique, as they only live in shallow coastal waters in the North Pacific ocean. The fur is responsible for insulating them and keeping them warm because they do not have a layer of blubber to keep them warm and protect them from the outside environment. But some, particularly in present-day Canada and Alaska, viewed the river otter … They also love to play. An otter's den is called a 'holt' or a 'couch'. /* sci facts 160 */ Sea Otter Facts For Kids. They have a thick fur coat that keeps them warm even in freezing water. 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