Otters are often voted the most adorable animals on the planet. You likely know them for holding hands while they sleep to stay together. However, they are also intelligent tool users who carry rocks in their pockets. They possess the densest fur of any creature on Earth. Furthermore, they are essential guardians of the kelp forests. Let’s explore the life of these aquatic acrobats.
Otters
Sea otters famously hold hands while they sleep in the water. They do this to create a raft so they do not drift away from each other in the current. Consequently, you often see huge groups of them floating together in the kelp forests.
They possess the thickest fur of any animal in the entire animal kingdom. Unlike whales or seals, otters do not have a layer of blubber to keep them warm. Instead, they rely on a coat that has up to one million hairs per square inch to trap air against their skin.
They are one of the few non-primate mammals that use tools. A sea otter will find a perfect rock and use it as a hammer to smash open hard clam shells. Remarkably, they will often keep this favorite rock in their armpit pocket for years.
Mothers wrap their babies in seaweed while they hunt. Since the pups are too small to dive, the mother anchors them to the floating kelp. This prevents the baby from floating out to sea while she dives to the bottom for food.
The Giant River Otter of the Amazon is known as the River Wolf. These massive creatures can grow up to six feet long and hunt in aggressive packs. They are so fierce that they can scare away jaguars and caimans.
Baby sea otters have fur so thick that they physically cannot dive. The air trapped in their coat makes them too buoyant to go underwater. Therefore, they bob around on the surface like corks until they shed their baby fur.
They must eat a massive amount of food just to survive. An otter needs to consume roughly 25 percent of its body weight every single day to maintain its body temperature. This means they spend a huge portion of their waking hours hunting and eating.
North American river otters love to slide down muddy banks or snowy hills. While this looks like pure fun, it is also an efficient way to travel. sliding requires less energy than running, allowing them to move quickly across the terrain.
They are considered a keystone species for the ocean environment. By eating sea urchins, they prevent the urchins from destroying the kelp forests. Without otters, the underwater forests would disappear, and the entire ecosystem would collapse.
A group of otters has different names depending on where they are. If they are in the water, the group is called a raft. However, if they are on land, the group is called a romp, fitting their playful nature.
Their poop has a surprisingly unique smell. Biologists say that river otter spraint smells distinctively like crushed violets or fresh hay. This scent marking helps them communicate with other otters along the riverbank.
They can hold their breath for a surprisingly long time. A sea otter can stay submerged for over five minutes while searching for food. They also have the ability to close their ears and nostrils tightly to keep water out.
Obsessive grooming is a matter of life and death for them. If their fur gets dirty or matted, it loses its ability to trap air and insulate them from the cold. Therefore, they spend hours every day cleaning and blowing air into their coats.
They have loose skin under their forearms that acts like a shopping bag. They use these loose pouches to store food they catch during a dive. This allows them to gather multiple clams or crabs before returning to the surface to eat.
Humans nearly hunted them to extinction for their pelts. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the fur trade reduced the global population to fewer than 2,000 individuals. Thankfully, conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to rebound significantly.
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