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One of the UK's much loved mammals, the Otter, a large member of the Weasel family.
There are 13 Otter species worldwide, mostly seen in the UK is the Eurasian Otter, also known as the Lutra Lutra, they are fully protected under both the UK and European legislation, as they are still widely hunted for their pelts. Otter numbers have fallen dramatically over the last 30 years. The Lutra Lutra Otter has distinctive features which make it easy to identify, with its brown coat and white under belly and neck they are well adapted to aquatic life with its waterproof fur coat, webbed feet and powerful tail and of core their whiskers. Found along coats, estuaries, lakes, streams and fresh water habitats with suitable cover. They can reproduce up to 3 'cubs' per year with the mother will nurture for up to 3 months.
Another popular species is the Sea Otter found along the coats of the Pacific Ocean, these mammals do literally everything in the water, they eat, sleep, mate and give birth in the sea, once again highly adapted to their habitat.
The Giant River Otter, the names says it all, the worlds largest Otter at 6 feet long, these magnificent creatures are native to South America living in the river and creeks of the Amazon. They live in family groups and small communities, once making a den in the river banks, establishing a territory hat they will aggressively protect if needed.
Otters are extremely intelligent, they have been using tools such as rocks to open shells for food, they also know how to have a good time, the Eurasian Otter in particular are highly playful and have been seen many times climbing up banks and sliding back down on their backs!
Their diet consists mostly of fish, frogs, eels, rabbits and birds, depending on their habitat, they eat up to 25% of their body weight daily sometimes more, spending at least 5 hours a day hunting.
These endangered species can only adapt so much, the disturbance of new housing developments, roads and general human disruption are resulting in loss of inhabitance. Pollution of waterways are destroying their food chain and pesticides, mercury and oil found in water are severely damaging on their health, more of these cases are being noticed all over Europe.
Lets help these Otters survive many more generations to come. You can contact your local wildlife trust, they may be involved in otter conservation projects.
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