About Otters
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes weasels, badgers, honey badgers, martens, minks, polecats, and wolverines. The word otter derives from the Old English word otor or oter. This ultimately stems from the Proto-Indo-European language root *wódr̥, which also gave rise to the English word "water".
5 Reasons why Sea Otters should be your favorite sea creature
- They have a pouch under their forearm to store food and their favorite rocks.
- An otter's den is called a holt or couch.
- Sea otters' magnificent whiskers earned them the nickname, old man of the sea.
- Sleepy sea otters hold hands so they don't drift apart while they nap.
- When sea otters drift in a group it's called a raft.