Otters are mammals. They are mainly active at night, but they like to sun themselves in the daytime.
Feeding
River otters’ main food is fish, which they hunt using their underwater swimming skills. They eat by lying on their backs on top of the water and holding the food in place with their front paws. River otters eat crabs as well, plus other seafood.
Breeding
River otters have their babies in the springtime. Newborn otters are blind. They stay in their den until they are a month old. They learn to swim a bit earlier. Baby river otters are ready to live by themselves when they are about one year old.
Habitat
River otters live along rivers, streams, or lakes. They can swim very well, using their webbed feet to paddle and their tails to steer. This species of otter can stay under the water for about four minutes, but they breathe air. They spend most of their lives in water, but they also journey on land to find a mate.
Looks
Otters belong to a family that includes badgers and skunks. They have short, smooth fur which is almost always wet! Otters have large black noses, long whiskers and a thick, furry tail.
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Wild River otters live 10 years, but they may reach 16 years in captivity.
We loved learning more about otters! Great post. Hugs from Karen and Keilee.
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DeleteThe illustration at the beginning of this blog is really "cool"! I think I knew that otters were related to badgers, but I never thought before that they were also related to skunks! I'd much rather meet an otter than a skunk, but maybe they have some nice features other than when they give off the bad smell to keep their predators away! (That is, the skunks).
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