Wednesday, May 30, 2018 written and photographed by Mika Miller
Today is World Otter Day, the perfect time to celebrate these paw-esome mammals! Here are 10 otter-ly amazing facts about otters.
1. Otters have the thickest fur of any mammal in the animal kingdom. They can have up to one million hairs per square inch!
2. A group of otters on land is called a romp, while a group of otters in the water are called a raft.
3. Otters have such distinctive poop that it even has its own name! It’s called spraint and otters use it to mark their territory.
4. There are 13 known species of otters. We have two species at the Aquarium, North American river otters and Asian small-clawed otters.
5. Otters can be found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
6. Asian small-clawed otters are the smallest species of otters. They grow to be around two feet long with half of that being their tail.
7. Otters have a fast metabolism so they eat a lot of food. They eat between 15-25 percent of their body weight per day.
8. An otter’s tail is called a rudder and is somewhat flattened to help them swim.
9. True to their name, Asian small-clawed otters have very small and blunt claws. These claws rarely extend past the tips of the digits.
10. North American river otters can hold their breath for up to eight minutes and dive to a depth of 60 feet!
Visit our otters in our Discover Utah and Expedition: Asia habitats!