Otters are some of the most playful animals in the world. They seem to enjoy sliding up and down, both on snowy slopes and on wet beaches. They play catch and fight in mock battles. He is not against the idea of including other creatures (dogs, raccoons or foxes) in his endless games.
The common European otter is very similar to the North American otter, although the European species is smaller. They are both excellent swimmers. An otter is said to travel through water at a speed of about 100 km per hour. Normally, there are three overhangs over the water when the animal is swimming: head, back and tail tip. A family group with otters swimming in a row was sometimes mistaken for a sea monster.
North American and European otters also feel at home on land. Despite its short legs, otters can drive a running man. You can travel about 250 miles at night. There is a record of hunting an otter for 45 kilometers.
These creatures are well equipped for swimming. The strong tail acts as an excellent paddle and allows the animal to glide through the water without causing large splashes. An otter can swim against the body on four legs. If so, the stern provides propulsion. Or the otter can swim by hitting its large hind legs in a net.
But young people do not automatically go into the water. François Bourlière writes in The Natural History of Mammals: “Liers [an American authority for otters] informs us that young otters do not go to the water alone but are trained by their mother who puts them in the otters' skin. Place and catch small prey (crabs, frogs and small fish) to attract them. In addition, their first attempt at swimming is strenuous, as young people gradually learn to swim properly. "- p. 189.
Diving is not a problem for otters. This creature can dive 12 meters below the surface and stay underwater for about four minutes. It can swim up to 0.4 kilometers underwater.
The feeling for this animal is simply incredible. You can get into a frozen river from an ice break and therefore have no problem finding your way back to the opening.
Although an otter usually targets small fish and other aquatic life, it can eat fish weighing up to 9 kg. This is a good result given that the weight of the otters is at stake. To catch the fish, the animal uses its front legs.
The otter's fur is perfect for its existence. The outer coat consists of long, thick hairs, while soft, woolly coat forms the inner coat. In water, the outer layer adheres to the body and compresses the dry inner layer. The air trapped in the base provides excellent insulation and keeps the skin dry.
Sea Otters
Sea otters, each weighing around 30 kilograms, are even more animals in the water than the common otter. You are close to the beaches of North America and Siberia. There in the brown algae called algae, sea otters stay at home. In order not to rest, they are wrapped in a little seaweed.
When there is a storm, sea otters come ashore in search of shelter. Regarding its roosts “At night, the sea otter rests in a depression usually protected by a stone and marked by excrement. This sleeping area can be 10 meters from the water. During the summer, sea otters sometimes spend the night in offshore seaweed fields, where they are protected from their main predators, the killer whale and boreal shark. Otters flee to the coast when one of these predators approaches. ""
When speed is not needed, this creature will lie on its back and wag its tail. If you swim upright and move the foot of the bed together or alternately, the sea otter can swim at a speed of about 12 miles per hour.
The animal can dive 100 meters (30 meters) or more below the surface to feed: sea urchins, clams, clams, etc. When the sea otter arrives with food, its breast turns into a dining table. Maybe a sea otter with a stone on its chest throws mollusks at him. Or, you can cut open the clams with your teeth or legs. Another method is to hit one mollusk against another.
To satisfy its hunger, the sea otter must dive and hit a lot. You can eat one fifth of your body weight each day. In just under an hour and a half, a sea otter with 54 mussels arrived and hit them over 2000 times against a rock.
The sea otter is also very good at scratching. All four feet can be moved in different directions at the same time.
The sea otter shows a certain joy in caring for its young. While the mother is hovering on her back, the baby sucks on the breast. Sometimes the mother throws the baby in the air and then picks it up. The Mãe Mar pacifier ensures that your baby stays clean. With his teeth and his tongue, he cleans it thoroughly from head to tail.
Due to their precious fur, sea otters have long been hunted mercilessly. After all, they were protected by law at the turn of the 20th century. Sea otters have grown to the point that fishermen along the California coast say their livelihoods are threatened. They claim that otters eat a lot of seafood. An indefinite number of otters have already been killed, although they are protected by law.
Human commercial efforts often make life difficult for land animals, including the playful otter. But these funny animals still don't care about the many places to watch their funny antics.