What is an otter?

Otters (scientific name: Lutra lutra), also known as river otters, are carnivores that live in freshwater and saltwater environments and belong to the family Mustelidae. They are distributed in various waters of Eurasia, including rivers, lakes, swamps, etc.

The body of an otter is about 60-100 cm long and weighs about 5-15 kg. Their hair is dense and soft, usually brown or gray-brown, with obvious white throat and chest markings. The front paws of otters have obvious intercalary membranes that help them swim and dive. In addition, they have a special feature that compared with other mammals, otters have a very high metabolic rate and need to eat continuously to maintain body temperature.

Otters are semi-aquatic animals that are good at swimming and diving. They can chase and prey on fish, crustaceans and mollusks in the water. They also dig holes on the shore to build nests and cover them with branches, grass and other debris as habitats. Due to their high requirements for water quality, otters tend to only appear in relatively clean waters and have difficulty surviving in polluted waters.

In the past few centuries, due to excessive hunting, poisoning and habitat destruction by humans, the number of otters has dropped sharply and has been listed as an endangered species. But now, under the protection of governments and environmental organizations, the number of otters has recovered.

animal tags：