The otter, which is also called the otter, is the largest member of the weasel family, and unlike other types of weasels, the water otter is a semi-aquatic animal, and there are thirteen species of
water otter that slide on the banks of rivers, manipulate rocks, and float on their backs in the five continents, and places The only ones that do not have an otter are Australia and Antarctica, and the otter is considered one of the small marine
mammals, but rather it is one of the smallest marine mammals in the world, and the otter does not live in the water all the time, but rather spends most of its
time in the water and then goes out to the beach to rest and sleep There is a lot of interesting information about this endangered animal.
The appearance and behavior of an otter
The otter is one of the animals known to be thin and short. It has a muscular neck and short legs. Its long flat tail and four webbed feet help it swim faster.
It has a short nose and ears. Its fur is soft and thick brown. Its outer fur varies in shade of brown, and the fur underneath is lighter, having two layers.
of fur keeps it warm and dry, and on every square inch of its body it may have as many as a million hairs.
The smallest individual of the otter weighs six pounds, and the largest breed weighs 99 pounds, and is two feet six feet long.
In the South Pacific, the smallest member of the otter in the world can be found in Chungongo, and the largest fox in the world so far has been found in Big Fish, a body of water in the state of Maine, and
the otter enjoys being together in groups, and they live as families consisting of A mother and her offspring, when not eating or sleeping, can be seen playing and often choose the bank of the river to turn into their own slide board.
Groups of otters in the water are referred to as buoys. When they are in a group, but out of the water they may be referred to as A swarm. An adult otter may become defensive if it feels its offspring are threatened.
Predators and threats to the otter
The biggest threat to the otter is people because hunting it is a common activity, and it is so common that some species have been greatly depleted as a result, and people have been searching for these animals for a
long time, and when they started, homemade weapons and arrows were used, and when killing them became more popular , Hunters began to set traps and shoot the otter the food it fell into, and these days, most people only use traps to catch the otter.
Commercial fishermen have been hunting for the otter for a long time, the reason is that the otter's natural diet means less marine animals are hunted for
the fishermen, and some fishermen hunt it senselessly because the otter enters their fishing net, terrestrial and aquatic predators are also a threat, and wolves are a danger On it, as well as eagles, and in
some parts of the world, water lions pose a threat to otter, and another major threat is killer whales and sharks, and in areas that contain swamp lands there is another threat that is crocodiles, and those who live in the wild are often hunted.
Because of the many predators, there are many species that are at risk of extinction, and this is due to habitat loss and air and water pollution that has a
negative impact on the otter, and the IUCN Red List includes the otter on the list of endangered animals, and in Asia, the otter is exposed
The water is under threat due to illegal trading, and the only species of otter that is not in danger of extinction is the one that lives in North American waters.
Otter breeding
When an otter is between the ages of two and three, it is old enough to reproduce. Otters in different parts of the world mate for different reasons.
In ideal conditions, an otter can mate several times during the reproductive season.
These conditions are an abundance of food and a comfortable place. For breeding, North American otter mates from late winter through the beginning of the spring season, and not all foxes breed in the same way.
And some breeds take longer to give birth to young than others, and when the egg is fertilized in the pregnant female, something called late implantation occurs, and
this means that the egg will not become attached to the mother’s womb until the environment is suitable for the birth of small foxes, and the period reaches between 63 to 65 days before Birth.
When the male is ready to breed, he will look for a female mate, and the females will be able to breed again immediately after giving birth, however, this is not a common practice, and female otter prefer to
nurse their young to adulthood before they get more young, and if the mother is lost One of her young, she may not want to wait to breed again, and may choose to do so immediately, the only exception to this is if the mother is living in a non-stressful environment.
Otter food
Like carnivores, the otter eats a diet consisting of meat. Different species of otter have different diets. Marine animals are the preferred choice
for the sea otter, meaning that it eats snails, mussels, and crabs, as well as other types of marine animals. It will The marine otter eats about 25% of its weight in marine animals daily. The river otter has a different diet.
It prefers birds and small mammals. Its diet consists mostly of fish, frogs, crayfish and crabs.