Otters LOVE Rocks: Otters often have a favorite rock to open their shellfish! Each otter stores a favorite rock in its chest pouch that is unique to them and their preference. The otter loves to keep this tool close when gathering food. Every otter has a pouch for storing food, that is not super noticeable, but an important part of the otter’s body. Source: The Little Book of Otter Philosophy.
Otters Have a Unique Smelly Poop: Weird fact of the day is Otters have a particular stink to their feces. So much so, that this poop is coined, “Spraints.”
Otter Pregnancy: Otter gestation can last up to two months, but otters do not begin to breed until they are at least five years old. In fact, otter pregnancy is unique to this animal. The otter can have a delayed implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterus. Therefore, a baby otter can be born up to a year after fertilization has occurred. A female otter can have one up to six babies per litter. Baby otter births typically will occur from the months of November to May.
Otter Fur: Did you know otters have the thickest fur of any mammal? Otters have up to 850,000 to one million hairs per square inch. Source: The little Book of Otter Philosophy, Home and Environment.
Otters are Nocturnal Animals! Typically, otters will hunt at night. Source: The Little Book of Otter Philosophy, Work and School.
Otters are Team Players: Did you know otters love to relax in a group setting? In fact, researchers from Alaska have observed otters in groups of over one thousand floating in the water. These friendly creatures can be seen relaxing in groups from ten to hundreds. Source: The Little Book of Otter Philosophy.
One Big Breath! Otters have massive lung capacity. Depending on the type of otter they can hold their breath for up to eight minutes. [Source: The Little Book of Otter Philosophy]
It’s All About Looking Good: The sea otter will spend much of its time grooming itself. In fact, looking this good can take up to six hours! However, the reason that otters will spend time cleaning themselves is so that their fur will remain buoyant (keeping them afloat) and dry. Source: The Little Book of Otter Philosophy.
CIA Agent or Otter? Recently, declassified records from the 1960’s, found that the CIA studied otters in the 1960’s. Known as the, “MK Ultra Project.” This project designed an otter harness. The reasons are still unknown, but believed to be so that otters could deliver explosives or microphones to sensitive areas to create an otter dossier. Source: The Little Book of Otter Philosophy.
Otters Love to Chase Their Own Tails: Check out this link!
Otter Cafes: In Japan or areas of Asia, “Otter Cafes” have become a popular commodity. Clients pay to pet and play with otters. This idea venture, while cute, is questionable due to the endangered subset of populations.