The Floating Mammal

                 

              

Appearance

Otters are slim and short. They have a muscular neck and short legs. Otters have long flat tails and four webbed feet that help them swim faster. They have a blunt nose and ears and their fur can be brown, soft, and thick. An otter's fur is darker on the outside than on the inside. They have two layers of fur which helps them stay warm and dry. Otters can weigh from 6 lbs and 100 lbs depending on the species. An otter is most 2 ft to 6 ft in length.

Diet

Otters are carnivores so they only eat meat. The different species of otters have other diets. Marine animals are sea otters' preferred food. Sea otters mostly eat snails, mussels, and crabs. Sea otters will eat about 25% of their body weight per day. River otters prefer birds and small animals. Their diets are mostly made up of fish, crayfish, crabs, and frogs. 

Habitat

Otters are found around the world on most continents. Otters prefer to live in a wet habitat and they will make their home on the coastlines, lakes, oceans, and freshwater rivers. Otters build a sort of den near the water just like a beaver. The dens are found underground and it includes various chambers that keep them dry. Sea otters prefer a water habitat like river otters. Sea otters are found on central California's coast, Alaska's, and Russia's coasts. 

Reproduction

Otters are able to reproduce at the age of two. North American otters mate from late winter to the beginning of spring. Not all otters mate at this time. Males can't mate with females unless the females approve. Some otters have a longer gestation period than others. An otter's gestation period is from 2 to 6 months. Males and females do not live together and will only meet during breeding season. When a female gives birth she is able to reproduce again right after but she cares for the baby until it grows into an adult. When babies are born there will be about 1 to 6 babies at a time. Pups depend on their mother for everything and they are able to see. Their mother will teach them how to swim. Babies are born with growing teeth and all of their fur. They weigh about 5 oz. An otter's lifespan is 8 to 10 years in the wild, and 15 to 20 years in captivity. 

Thank you for reading this amazing article. I hope you enjoyed reading this and learned about otters. Otters are one of my favorite animals and I think they are very cute and intelligent. Share this blog with your friends and family. Here is the link to my youtube channel and the video that goes with this blog.

The Informative Zoologist