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Otters often use their paws to handle objects. They hold and play skillfully
with such things as stones and small shellfish. Some African and Asian
species that have only a little webbing between their toes can use the
toes like fingers. Such clawless and small-clawed otters handle food in
much the same way as raccoons. These otters feed on shellfish that live
in shallow water. All otters have claws. Even the so-called clawless otter
has short claws on the three middle toes of its hind feet.
The life of an otter. Otters eat crayfish, crabs, and fish. Although
otters can sometimes catch such swift-swimming fish as trout, they generally
capture slower fish. They also eat clams, frogs, insects, snails, snakes,
and, occasionally, waterfowl. Otters are active the year around. Where
people hunt them, they move about more at night than during the day. They
hunt mostly alone, but sometimes they hunt in family groups.
Otters spend much time playing. They wrestle and romp and slide down
steep muddy slopes in summer and down icy riverbanks in winter. Otters
use a variety of sounds to communicate among themselves. All species have
a warning growl. In addition, otters use various kinds of chirps, chuckles,
screams, and squeals to express their feelings to other otters.
Most otters make their homes in burrows in riverbanks or under rocky
ledges, or in abandoned dens of other animals. Most female otters give
birth to two or three young at a time. The babies, called cubs or pups,
are born blind. The young do not swim until they are several months old.
People hunt otters for their valuable and beautiful fur. Certain species,
especially the giant otter, are in danger of becoming extinct.
Scientific classification. Otters belong to the weasel family,
Mustelidae. The North American otter is Lutra canadensis. The giant
otter is Pteronura brasiliensis. The clawless and small-clawed
otters form genus Aonyx. The clawless otter is classified A. capensis.
The small-clawed otter is classified A. cinerea.
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