The content of the article:
From time to time, it happens to every person that, to tell the truth, an obsession comes to mind about having a pet. You might think that there is absolutely nothing surprising in this, but not in our modern era. Today, people have reached the point where they choose their pets much more carefully and carefully than cars, real estate, or an outfit for an evening in honor of some very special occasion. significant event. And all because the concept of “pet” has expanded beyond recognition. And if just a few years ago any person expressed his surprise or admiration rare breed dogs, then today it is quite difficult to surprise him even with a raccoon or some original amphibian.
Probably, among your circle there is not a single person who has not visited a zoo at least once in his life. Walking through such an amazing, but at the same time a little sad place, many people have a desire to bring some recently seen, peculiar animal into their home. And if earlier this was a practically unattainable goal, then today it is not only quite realistic, but also not at all difficult - if only there was a desire and a sufficient amount of material resources.
One of these to some extent exotic pets is an otter. If you have the opportunity to contemplate this pretty miracle of nature in person, then there is a high probability that you will return to your home with the thought or even the dream of owning such an unusual animal. The thing is that such living creatures as otters have some kind of special charm; observing its behavior, the way it plays, and simply the majesty and beauty of its appearance, you already begin to involuntarily become attached to this animal.
Such a living creature as an otter is quite suitable for the role of a friend of your little one, but in no case should you forget that it comes from the wild and there are quite a lot of different nuances and features in its content. Therefore, before you take your savings and go in search of such a desired comrade, it is better to get to know her better.
Native territories and origins of the otter
In 1758, the world was introduced to an amazing, until then unknown, living creature, which received the name otter. But this fact remains very doubtful, since according to some sources, this beautiful creation of nature, back in the distant Middle Ages, was very often tamed and kept as pets, along with cats or dogs. So there is a story about a baby otter whose name was Neptune. Neptune first lived in the house of the famous Polish marshal, and in 1686 such an amazing friend was presented to His Majesty the King and very soon became a favorite among all royal family, moreover, Neptune was considered much smarter and smarter than even the most smart dogs at the king's court.
If we talk about the origin of the otter, then the people who studied it classified it into the class of mammals, the order of carnivores, the mustelid family and the genus of otters of the same name.
In nature there are about thirty various types These cute mammals, including those that, unfortunately, did not live to see our century, depend on the specific variety of the animal and their natural distribution area varies.
Description of otter species and their characteristic features
Common otter, river otter or ash otter. This is perhaps the most popular and famous representative from all his large family. In order to look at this eccentric, you don’t have to travel too long distances, since the pine tree is quite widespread throughout almost the entire territory of Russia, with the exception of the Far North. In addition, it feels great on the lands of Europe, and does not settle only in Holland and Switzerland, Asia and even the northern part of the African continent.
As my permanent place habitat prefers to choose rivers in the territory wooded areas, since it is there that there is rarely a shortage of fish, it is much less likely to be found in small ponds or lakes. Sometimes the otter can live on sea coasts. A sign of quality when choosing a place of residence for this original representative of the mustelid family is the presence of a pool in the river, washed out waters, banks with windbreaks, where it is possible to build a reliable shelter or dig a comfortable hole. If such conditions do not exist, then this eccentric can calmly settle down in a cave, arranging for himself a cozy place to sleep there, a little like a nest, and in the vegetation thickets of nearby reservoirs. If an animal settles either in water or close to it, the entrance “door” to its house will always be under the cover of water.
The common otter is one of those species of animals that lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle; of course, it spends most of its free time in the depths of the reservoir, as it is famous for its unsurpassed talents for swimming and diving, but it can also quite calmly walk along the river bank.
By its nature, this mammal is very persistent and hardy; during the winter cold, when food is a little tight, this daredevil resorts to nomadism, and it can easily walk through snowy and icy waters for a distance of over 20 km per day, in search of food. .
The basis of the diet of this water inhabitant is fish, he especially likes carp, pike, trout, roach and even gobies; he prefers to hunt small fish. In winter, she doesn’t have to show off much, so the otter easily eats a variety of frogs. In the summer, the pine tree can afford to slightly diversify its daily menu with rodents that live near water bodies, as well as waders and ducks.
River otters do not really like large, noisy companies, even if these are their closest relatives, so they live mostly in splendid isolation.
Start mating season in this species of predators, mating occurs approximately at the beginning of spring, when the winter cold is already behind us, but in some areas mating can last throughout the year. The mating process takes place in water. In such unusual animals as the otter, even pregnancy is not a very common phenomenon, the whole point is that during this wonderful period it is divided into two parts - the latent period, which lasts approximately 250–270 days, and the gestation period itself, which is not so long and last only 58–65 days. At the end of this period, from 2 to 5 cubs are born, who do not yet have the opportunity to see the world with their own eyes.
If we talk about such a representative of the world fauna as the river otter, then we cannot help but mention its delightful appearance. This is quite a large animal, the length of its beautiful body is approximately 60–95 cm, the tail process is 30–50 cm. Body weight ranges from 6 to 12 kg. The body of the pine tree is distinguished by its very elegant and graceful flexibility; it is slightly elongated, and if you examine the animal up close, you get the impression that its body has a peculiar streamlined shape.
The limbs are relatively short, each of them has swimming membranes. As for the tail, although it is long and has well-developed muscles, it is not distinguished by large and abundant fluffiness; the fur growing on it is very thick, but short.
Nature painted this living creature very gracefully - the upper side of the body is presented in dark brown shades, the bottom is lighter, even with a slight silver tint. The texture of the otter's fur is very delicate and soft, in addition, the expression “like water off a duck's back” very accurately characterizes this miracle of nature, since its fur never gets wet.
Asian or eastern clawless otter. This representative of the otter genus differs from all its other relatives in its smallest size. The small body of this mammal is also elongated, short legs, and the forelimbs are slightly shorter than the hind limbs. Due to the fact that the body of this otter is relatively short, it looks much thicker than that of its other relatives.
Her head is wide, flat with a slightly rounded muzzle, on which there are round, high-set eyes. The visual organs are located very close to each other, thanks to this her muzzle looks very pretty. The ears are small and also not without features - during diving, the auditory openings are immediately closed with peculiar membranes.
This Asian beauty is also distinguished from other subspecies of otters by the structure of its paws. The front legs are a bit like a hand and are only partially equipped with swimming membranes. The eastern otter uses its fingers to hold its prey.
The coloring of this pretty predator is not uniform; most of the fur is dark brown, but the area of the throat, chin and cheeks is presented in a beautiful beige-cream color.
This living creation of nature grows no more than 60 cm in length, the length of the tail varies from 22 to 35 cm. Body weight is approximately 2.5–5.5 kg.
These delightful representatives of the world fauna revere Indonesia as their Fatherland, southern part China, India, the Philippines and some other Asian territories. In their native lands, clawless otters settle near mangroves and, more rarely, freshwater swamps.
Watching this eastern predator on its territory is truly an exciting sight. By nature, they are very funny and friendly creatures, and when otters are not busy searching for food or eating directly, they usually play, both with each other and by themselves. In addition, on a clear sunny day, animals can simply lie down and sunbathe, sitting comfortably on the rocks near the pond.
Since these animals have almost no claws, they are able to dig a hole only in very soft soil; if there is none, then they take up residence in the houses of other animals.
These animals have a very unique way of obtaining food; they usually carefully search for their lunch, probing every centimeter of the bottom, just as a raccoon does. The diet of the eastern predator consists of various amphibians, lobsters, mollusks, snails, crabs and other small inhabitants of water bodies. Before starting a meal, the otter must break its prey into small pieces, only then can it send it into its mouth.
No matter how cute and funny this furry friend may seem to you, keeping him in your home is a very troublesome and responsible matter. To begin with, it should be noted that you should only buy this animal if you live in a private house with your own yard, since an otter in an apartment is unlikely to bring you much pleasure. Although this animal is quite easy to tame, it can even be trained to relieve itself in a tray with litter, but the waste products of this pet have such an unpleasant odor that no matter how often you clean up after it, you cannot avoid the “amber” in the apartment. So it’s better to give the otter a personal, fairly spacious enclosure.
Your new friend's personal home must have a swimming pool, the size of which will allow your pet not only to plunge into the water, but also to swim a little. Near such an artificial reservoir it is necessary to make a place where the animal can dry out after bathing; a large box with some kind of hygroscopic filler in the form of dry sand, peat, sawdust or simply dry tree dust is a good choice.
It is very important for the comfort of your pet otter to have a shelter in which this companion will rest. Such a sleeping room should be made of dense materials, its size should correspond to the maximum parameters of your friend’s body, and the walls of such a house should not restrict the animal’s movements. It is good to line the bottom of the shelter with something dry and soft, for example, hay or sawdust.
But among all other things, probably the most an important condition The key to a happy existence of this exotic creature at home is a properly selected diet for your brute. At home, this creature from the wild needs to be fed a little differently than in its usual conditions. So for the most part weekly menu The domestic predator is meat, the rest is fish. It is optimal to feed your friend with lean varieties of meat; the fish in the otter’s menu should be both herbivorous and carnivorous; in addition, you can offer him eggs, milk, butter, as well as amphibians, which you can purchase on the market without much difficulty and great expense. On average, the weight of an otter's daily lunch should not be less than 800–1000 grams.
Do not forget also from time to time to feed your original pupil with special vitamin and mineral complexes; as a constant source of calcium, you can place small pieces of chalk in your pet’s enclosure, or add crushed eggshells to the food.
Never forget about vaccines; these animals are usually vaccinated against the same diseases as dogs.
Having made some efforts to create the most comfortable and comfortable conditions living and giving him your attention, as a result you will get a very playful, cheerful and funny friend who will look forward to your return home with great impatience. And soon your friends and acquaintances will come to visit you more often to have the opportunity to admire this truly miracle of nature.
Purchasing an animal, price of an otter
Buying any pet- it’s a responsible matter, and if it concerns a person from open nature, then you need to show maximum attention and patience, otherwise you risk spending your money in a completely different way than you planned. If you have found a suitable animal, do not hesitate to ask the seller for all the documents you are interested in that would indicate the origin of the animal and carefully check their authenticity, because in front of you may be an animal that was forcibly torn from the wild by poachers, and the documents are not so difficult fake Firstly, such a pet can be infected with many diseases, secondly, they are much more difficult to adapt to captivity conditions, and most importantly, you will make an irreparable contribution to the destruction of the otter population on the planet; they already suffer enough because of their valuable fur, from which fur coats are sewn, and they themselves are mercilessly killed.
The average cost of such a cute four-legged friend as a river otter ranges from 70,000 to 300,000 rubles; as for the Asian otter, the price for such an animal starts at 210,000 rubles.
See what an otter looks like in the following video:
The river otter is carnivorous mammal an animal that lives more often in river mouths, less often in lakes and ponds.
This is an agile, nimble and playful animal. In the recent past, its range extended for many kilometers; unfortunately, due to the fault of man, it has left many of these places forever and will never return to them again.
Appearance
Outwardly, its appearance is very similar. In general, the animal’s muscles are well developed; it is a fairly large and strong predator.
Body weight varies from 6 to 12 kg. The length of the elongated, elastic and streamlined body can reach from 55 to 100 cm. The length of the not fluffy, but quite muscular tail is 25 - 54 cm.
The four short limbs have skin membranes that facilitate efficient paddling underwater. On the back of the animal, the fur is gray-brown, and the belly is silver.
The animal's fur is very soft and fluffy, in contrast to the coarse guard hairs. The undercoat is very dense, so the animal is not at risk of hypothermia, since it remains waterproof.
Range and habitat
We have already briefly mentioned its former range, it only remains to add that it lives in small numbers throughout most of Europe, Asia including North Africa. The exceptions are the Arabian Peninsula and the far north.
Habitat and lifestyle
This animal is very shy and tries to keep it away from human presence; it leads a predominantly nocturnal and solitary lifestyle. Only during the mating season can they be observed in small groups of no more than three individuals.
An adult male otter, going out to fish at dusk, is able to comb several reservoirs located within its territory; by the way, it can stretch along the river for 15, or even 17 kilometers. He carefully guards his legal possessions and marks his area with feces. This tells other animals that the area is occupied.
Unfortunately, it happens, sometimes the fact for animal life, when he moves from one lake to another, on his route he often gets into traps laid by local poachers and dies in them.
The area of ownership of a female with cubs is extremely small, however, as a rule, it necessarily intersects with the territory of the male - the father of the brood. He can coexist with several females at the same time, and during the mating season he can mate with them several times.
Nutrition
The main delicacy in its diet is fish, but this species is not picky about food and can eat quite a variety of foods, here are just a few examples; mammals and fish included in its daily menu:
- Water birds, for example; ;
- Cancers;
- Young rabbits;
- Acne:
- Carp:
- Chebaki;
- Podleschiki;
But it is not full list, it can be continued and it will become much longer. The presence of eel fish in a pond gives our animal great pleasure and adds uncontrollable excitement, since this is the most favorite dish in his rich diet.
It eats the trophy by getting out onto the aquatic algae or even on land near its lair. Young individuals begin learning to swim quickly underwater at the age of three months, because by this time the formation of the waterproof layer is completed.
Reproduction
This unique creation nature can reproduce all year round. When a female river otter begins the rut, the male finds her by smell and mates with her, many times a day.
In a litter, there are from two to four cubs born in an underground burrow located under the roots of trees growing near the shore. Occasionally, a female may borrow rabbit holes for living.
During the first month and a half, the cubs are extremely vulnerable, caring mother feeds them with its nutritious and fatty milk. Only the female raises the cubs; the male is driven away after the babies are born.
After 10 months, they can go out under the cover of darkness to hunt on their own, and by the age of one year they leave their native nest and go looking for uninhabited places.
Man and animal
In past times, the otter was hunted real hunt, since its fur and skin were in demand in many countries. A dark streak in the animal's life came in the mid-50s; severe pollution of water bodies led to a colossal decline in the population.
Once upon a time, quite a long time ago, fish farmers attempted to kill the animal because they considered it a real pest, which was capable, as it seemed to them, of destroying all the fish in the reservoir.
Red Book
In most countries, since the middle of the last century, the otter has been protected by law and is under the protection of relevant services. In some countries European state This type of animal is specially bred and then released into the wild.
Lifespan
In the wild, the common otter can live no more than 10 - 12 years.
- The animal's fur is covered with a layer of fat that prevents it from getting wet and getting too cold.
- After birth, the baby weighs no more than 65 grams.
- Swimming underwater, she is able to hold her breath for a long time; during this time the hunter can swim up to 400 meters.
- The daily food intake should reach 20% of the furry animal’s total body weight.
Once upon a time, people and animals were equal before the formidable forces of nature. But millennia passed, and man was able to subjugate wild nature and master most of the earth.
Now animals often cannot live on our planet in natural conditions, and many species are becoming extinct. Over the past 100 years, several hundred animal species have ceased to exist on Earth. Many are at risk of death in the near future. Adults and children all over the world must help animals not disappear from the face of the Earth. And for this we need to know who lives around us - in forests, fields, mountains, rivers. You need to know the habits of animals and not interfere with the behavior natural look life.
Otters are the largest members of the mustelid family: they reach a length of almost a meter and their weight reaches almost 12 kilograms. Otters are found in inland waters and are excellently adapted for living on water. Thanks to its rounded head, short thick neck, cylindrical body, thick tail and webbed feet, the otter moves effortlessly in the water. When she dives, the muscles of her ears and nostrils contract and close them tightly.
The otter's body is elongated, flexible, mobile, its ears are round, small, and barely protrude from the fur. The eyes are large, oriented forward and upward, and glow copper-red at night. The legs are short, with small claws and developed membranes between the toes. Hairline dark brown in color, very thick and even throughout the body. The color of the fur on the belly is slightly lighter than on the back. Females are smaller than males.
Habitat
The otter is a semi-aquatic animal. Prefers inaccessible wooded shores. The nature of the ice cover is of great importance for the existence of the otter. The presence of wormwood and thawed areas is necessary for animals. The abundance of ice and complete freezing of water bodies deprives them of the opportunity to develop even water bodies rich in food or forces them to make dangerous seasonal transitions.
Water is vital for the otter: it gets food in it and seeks salvation from danger. But the land also has otters in its life great importance, on it the animal builds shelters and reproduces, rests and makes transitions between bodies of water.
The river otter, as I have already written, prefers rivers whose banks are covered with forest over a large area. Here she lives in underground passages. The exit is always under water, usually at a depth of half a meter; from here a passage almost two meters long rises in an oblique direction and leads to a spacious basin, which is carefully lined with grass, so that it is always dry. Another narrow passage leads from the basin to the surface of the shore and serves for ventilation. Typically, the river otter uses ready-made burrows and caves in the shore, washed away by water, for housing, which it only lengthens and expands by digging the ground and gnawing the roots it comes across. IN in rare cases she uses abandoned foxes and badger holes, if they are located near water. For the most part she owns several dwellings; if it happens that a river or lake is too abundant in fish, then there is no need for it to undertake long trips to change its habitat. During a flood, which also floods her home, she takes refuge in nearby trees or in a hollow and spends time here in peace and relaxation from her constant occupation - fishing.
The otter prefers ponds with clear water, fast current and rocky riverbed. Because of her passion for rivers, people call her the list (previously they said poreshnya). The habitat of the river otter, individual or family, is small and limited to the shoreline, the width of which rarely exceeds 200-300 meters.
In difficult times, the otter turns into an avid traveler. In the north of the region, the otter moves away due to unfavorable ice cover - the animal actually leads a semi-nomadic lifestyle in winter, moving from one body of water to another. IN summer period migrations, on the contrary, are caused by summer shallowing and drying out - the otter goes to where large waters remain.
Nutrition
The river otter is a typical fish eater. In the rivers Chelyabinsk region she prefers perch, roach, bream and pike. The otter prefers small fish to large ones, and willingly catches fry in spawning areas. The otter feeds on everything it can handle. One day an otter caught not far from the house in a short time two geese that were swimming in a ditch, sneaking up on them underwater and grabbing their prey by the belly.
The otter's winter food is mainly frogs, which it hardly touches during the ice-free period. According to scientists in winter time these amphibians make up about half of its diet, but in the spring, when frogs are more active, the otter prefers to hunt fish.
Despite the fact that the otter is a carnivorous mammal, its diet in summer includes coastal plants such as reeds, cattails, horsetail, sedge and reeds.
Hunting methods
Usually the river otter comes out to fishing only after sunset. During such a hunt, she often happens to approach human habitation and climb into cities and villages lying along big rivers. In shallow waters, she drives fish into bays to make it difficult for them to escape and make it easier to catch them, or, slapping the water with their tail, drives them out of coastal holes and from under stones, so that the fish most likely becomes prey for a cunning beast.
The otter's main way of hunting fish is stalking and stalking. On shallow rifts, the predator guards its prey on rocks or on the shore. water rat The otter lies in wait at her holes. It mainly pursues schooling and not very active fish, which are easier to catch. The otter often visits “fish holes” - pools of calm water, in which sedentary fish accumulate for the night. Underwater, she always grabs prey with her mouth. An otter normally eats about one kilogram of fish per day. Having grabbed a fish, the predator usually eats it on a stone protruding from the water, in winter on the edge of an opening. It eats only freshly caught prey, does not hide uneaten remains and never returns to them.
Features of reproduction
There is still much that is unclear in the biology of otter reproduction. It is not confined to a specific season of the year. In every month of the year you can find her cubs. Typically, mating time coincides with the end of February and the beginning of March. The male and female attract each other with a strong, drawn-out whistle and play lovingly with each other in the water. Intrauterine development is delayed and can occur after 7-8 months. But most often, nine weeks after mating, the female brings two to four blind cubs in a safe burrow, built on the shore under an old tree or strong roots on a soft and warm grass bed. After nine to ten days the animals open their eyes, and after eight weeks the mother takes them out to fish. They remain for almost six months under the supervision of the female, during which she teaches the techniques necessary for their hunting. In the third year they become so mature that they are capable of reproduction. In the first days, the mother, leaving to hunt, covers the otter eggs with grass or moss if the nest is not made in a hole, but from the surface of the ground, hiding them from beast of prey or a bird of prey.
The otter is very attached to its offspring. In case of danger, she protects them, sometimes even attacks first. It's interesting how otters teach their cubs to swim. Kids are not afraid of water and splash around the shore, not daring to go into the depths. Their parents push them, and sometimes even take them on their backs to the middle of the river, and dump them there. Otters splash around in the water, and adults make sure they don't drown. The animals reach sexual maturity in the third year of life.
Lifestyle and distribution
- features of biology
- footprints
- spreading
- economic importance
- otter breeding and domestication
The otter belongs to specialized freshwater forms associated with lowland and mountain rivers. In the absence of persecution, it gets along well in anthropogenic landscapes. It makes its burrow in close proximity to a pond, often using a niche under the roots of fallen trees (Appendix 1). It obtains food in the water and seeks refuge here in case of danger. It dives instantly with a strong splash, but if necessary, it goes under water completely silently.
Before diving, the otter takes in air in a split second; to do this, it only needs to stick the tip of its muzzle out of the water. It can stay under water for up to 5 minutes; the otter’s diving path can be traced by the bubbles of air it exhales.
The otter is a very active animal that spends a significant part of its time playing. In the water, the otter moves quickly, catching even the fastest fish (Appendix 5). She loves to run around smooth ice or steep slopes, where characteristic grooves remain on the clay or snow (Appendix 3). The otter has a special “roller coaster” that the animals have been using for games for decades. In reservoirs where otters live, you can also find areas on the shore with trampled grass, where otters rest during the day (Appendix 6), as well as viewing and feeding “tables” with food remains and droppings. The otter is cautious and secretive; It mainly makes transitions to new areas by water. On land, the otter is less mobile and even clumsy, although it can walk across snowy ice up to 10 km. Mine hunting area- a strip of approximately 100-meter width, stretching along the river for 2-6 km, the otter knows to the smallest detail. She has several burrows in this area. In some the otter sleeps and rests, while in others it lives only while feeding its babies. These nests are made especially carefully: the entrance is hidden under water, the ventilation hole is cleverly disguised in the bushes. With a rich food supply, a sedentary can live for several years.
The tracks are distinctively shaped, with teardrop-shaped toe marks and an elongated heel on the hind legs. The first toe is often not imprinted, especially on the front paws, but even in not very deep snow there is usually a furrow from the tail. The size of the footprint is 12x10 cm. The footprints are arranged in oblique rows of 3 or 4 (Appendix 3) Jump length 60 - 90 cm.
The otter is distributed everywhere except the tundra and arid areas, but almost everywhere it is rare or has disappeared due to hunting, water pollution and a decrease in fish stocks. Relatively common only in some places in the north and north-west of the European part of Russia, on the middle Ob, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, in the Amur basin and nature reserves of Primorye. In the Urals it is found from the tundra of the Yamal Peninsula to Southern Urals inclusive, along the valley of the Ural River to the mouth. Currently, the otter permanently lives in the northwestern part of the Chelyabinsk region: the basin of the Verkhnyaya and Nizhnyaya Bianka (Asha district), Ay, Sulla, Nyazya and Ufa rivers.
Among fishermen and hunters at one time there was a widespread opinion that the otter was harmful. But careful research has shown that in places where the otter settles, fish catches increase. It “removes” sick and weakened fish from the reservoir and destroys trash fish en masse, thereby protecting the eggs of commercial fish species from being eaten.
In the past, the otter was an important game animal. Her fur was in high demand because it is very beautiful and durable. Its wearability in the fur industry is taken as 100%. During the processing process, the coarse awn is plucked out and a short, thick, delicate underfur is left.
Although in nature the otter avoids humans, in captivity it easily makes contact with people. In terms of tameability, the otter is close to the dog. If an otter is raised from childhood, it will perceive people and other domestic animals as its family, love them and follow the person. A tamed otter cannot be passed on to other owners or sent to a zoo - it will suffer immensely after losing its family. The otter began to be domesticated many centuries ago. There is information that back in the 17th century, tame otters were used in England to drive fish into nets. On American and Canadian farms, it happens that otters live on equal terms with cats and dogs. Sometimes there are "semi-tamed" otters who live on the river and come to the farm to eat and play - after all, otters are more prone to play than any other wild animal. They really play with each other, and not only babies, but also adult otters. The list of fun activities includes catch-up, hide-and-seek, and wrestling. It happens that one otter catches a fish and hides it, while the others try to find it. Then the fish hides and the game starts all over again. In Russia, they tried to breed otters: in the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region, on the basis of the Cherginsky experimental farm of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in the early 80s, attempts were made to cage breeding otters. For several reasons positive results It was not possible to obtain it, the work was curtailed. Currently, employees of the Novosibirsk Zoo are quite successfully breeding otters. You can try to domesticate the otter - after all, it is good at communicating with people.
I think that the common otter is a promising species for domestication and cage farming. Domestication and cell propagation can save this species from extinction in its natural habitat.
The otter's cunning and crafty face, deft movements in the water and funny gait on land - it is not difficult to fall under its charm, especially considering that it is also very temperamental and quite sociable: it squeals, whistles, chirps, hisses. Therefore, it hardly occurs to anyone that this cute, albeit predatory animal, is capable of coping with a young alligator, which is rightfully considered one of the most dangerous and powerful predators on the planet.
Locked in mortal combat the animals were spotted on one of the lakes in Florida. The attacker turned out to be a mammal, which with sharp fangs grabbed the reptile by the neck and, having secured an advantageous position for itself, completely deprived it of the opportunity to do anything. After a short fight, the otter pulled the alligator out of the lake and disappeared from sight with the prey.
An otter (lat. Lutra) is a predatory mammal that leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle and belongs to the mustelid family. The subfamily has 5 genera and 17 species, among which the most famous are the common (river) otter, sea otter, sea otter, Brazilian (giant) and Caucasian otter. All species of this animal are listed in the International Red Book: the valuable otter fur has been attracting the attention of poachers for centuries.
Descriptions of otters of different genera differ depending on the species. Thus, the length of the animal’s body ranges from 55 to 95 cm, while it is very flexible, muscular and long. The length of the tail ranges from 22 to 55 cm, it is thick at the base, tapering towards the end, and is not fluffy. The largest is considered to be the Brazilian or giant otter, which lives on the banks of the Amazon and Orinoco: together with the tail, the length of this animal reaches two meters, and its weight is more than twenty kilograms.
Thus, the giant otter is the most major representative of its subfamily. It can compete only with the sea otter living in the open sea, which, although smaller, is much heavier.
The smallest otter, the eastern one, lives in the swamps of Asia. The length of its body, including its tail, ranges from 70 to 100 cm, and its weight ranges from 1 to 5.5 kilograms. As for marine animals, the smallest sea otter lives in the west South Africa and weighing 4.5 kilograms.
Compared to their body weight, these animals have large lungs, which allows them to stay under water for about four minutes. To get a portion of air, the animal does not have to completely float up: it is enough to stick the tip of its nose to the surface - this gives the otter the opportunity to completely fill its lungs with oxygen and return under water.
The animal has a wide muzzle and small ears. There are vibrissae on the muzzle and knees, thanks to which the predator detects the smallest movement in the water, while the animal receives almost all the information about the prey: its size, speed and where exactly it is moving. When a predator is underwater, its nostrils and ear openings close with valves, blocking the path of water.
The paws are short, five fingers are connected by swimming membranes, thanks to which the animal moves quickly in the water, and in pursuit of prey it can swim about three hundred meters under water. The hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs - this gives the animal the ability to swim excellently.
The fur of the otter is especially noteworthy: it is brown or gray-brownish in color, with a beautiful silver tint on its belly. Her guard hair is extremely coarse, and her undercoat is very soft and delicate to the touch. It is so dense that it makes otter fur completely impermeable to water and provides excellent protection against hypothermia.
Otters do not leave their fur unattended and take care of it for a long time, combing and smoothing it: if they do not do this, the fur will be dirty, will no longer retain heat, and the animal will die from hypothermia (the otter has no fat reserves). From the outside it looks like the animal is playing, cleaning its fur from various contaminants. To fill their undercoat with air, otters often tumble and roll over in the water.
Habitat
Representatives of the mustelid family can be seen in many places on our planet. Their habitat covers almost all of Eurasia (except for Holland, Switzerland and the Arabian Peninsula), North Africa and America.
The river otter does not live everywhere: first of all, otters are extremely demanding of cleanliness, and therefore do not live in muddy water bodies. The second condition due to which otters will not linger near a reservoir is the lack of food: the animal feeds on crayfish, fish, mollusks and amphibians.
These animals do not always live in one place. In summer, they prefer to stay in one area, moving no more than six kilometers away from it. But in winter, it all depends on how much the water freezes: otters do not live on completely ice-covered reservoirs. If an area is completely frozen, they leave it and, in search of a suitable body of water, are able to travel dozens of kilometers and even cross mountains. The Caucasian otter rises the highest - it feels great at an altitude exceeding two and a half thousand meters.
Otters do not dig holes and settle in an abandoned beaver hole, in natural caves or depressions under the roots of coastal trees. The animal chooses a place for settlement carefully; it is very important that it is invisible and difficult to access, and it is possible to get to the home only along one single path; very rarely the animal makes additional passages. In addition to the main hole, the otter has several more shelters on site; they are located quite far from the water, at a distance of about a hundred meters - and in them you can sit out the period when the river overflows its banks and floods the surrounding area.
How do otters live?
Although many people consider otters to be nocturnal animals, they can easily lead an active lifestyle in the evening and even during the day if they believe that they are not in danger. Basically, these animals like to live alone, the only exception being females with children - young otters live with their mother for about a year and leave her only when she is about to reproduce again.
Among otters there are species that do not like loneliness. For example, the giant otter differs from its European relatives in that it is active during the day, is not very timid, lives in groups and hunts in schools: animals from different sides drive fish to one place.
Despite the fact that otters spend almost all their time in the water, many of them feel good on land, along which they move at a trot, leaving a winding trail, and often make one and a half meter long jumps. But on loose snow, due to their short limbs, they move with difficulty, at a gallop, hunched over greatly. If the snow is more or less compacted, otters alternate jumping with sliding on their belly.
These animals are also very energetic and playful. Not far from their holes you can find “roller coasters” - hills with a compacted trail left by the animal sliding on its belly. The animal climbs this hill several times a day and slides down with a running start. Another favorite pastime is catching one’s own tail or hind leg, and often plays with the caught fish, after which it eats it.
In summer, when there is a lot of food in the reservoir, otters live in one place and do not move far from the site. The animal feeds on fish, frogs, crabs, and also catches rodents and even birds. The otter's hunting grounds at this time of year range from 2 to 18 kilometers along the river and 100 meters inland from the shore. In winter, if the fish leave or the ice freezes, thereby making hunting difficult, the animal is quite capable of covering 15 to 20 kilometers in a day in search of food.
Living in the sea
The sea otter's lifestyle is somewhat different from those living near fresh water bodies. Representatives of this species live mainly on the Pacific coast South America and almost all of its subspecies (with the exception of the sea otter) are small in size: its weight ranges from 3 to 6 kilograms.
It is interesting that the sea otter avoids fresh water bodies and settles only on the sea coast. The animal sets up a home on the rocky coast, where the wind blows strong winds, and a section of the coast is constantly flooded with water during high tides (the hole is located on the border of the high level tide).
Dense bushes or low trees usually grow along the shore - this gives her the opportunity to arrange two exits in her lair: one into the sea, the other onto land. Most species are characterized by a solitary lifestyle, so they set up their homes at a distance of at least two hundred meters from each other. True, they do not show aggression towards strangers who wander into their territory. 
By its nature, the sea otter is very timid, and therefore it is not easy to see it, even though, unlike its river relative, it leads a diurnal lifestyle, staying in the water most of its time (without leaving the water, they turn over on their back and lay prey on the belly, even feed). When hunting, a sea otter can easily dive to a depth of about fifty meters (and does it very quickly - in 15-30 seconds).
The animal moves inland mainly when pursuing prey, and can move half a kilometer from the shore. The sea otter is very good at climbing the rocks located along the coast, and also really likes to rest in dense thickets.
Otter marten
The largest sea otter is considered to be the sea otter, which lives in northern latitudes: the length of its body, including its tail, ranges from a meter to one and a half meters. Despite the fact that it is slightly smaller than a two-meter giant otter, it is much heavier - a sea otter weighs on average 30 kilograms, and the weight of some specimens reaches 45 kilograms. It should be noted that the sea otter can only be called a sea otter conditionally: scientists claim that the sea otter is a species close to otters.
Unlike other species, the sea otter's guard hair is quite sparse, but its undercoat is extremely thick: the sea otter's fur is considered the densest of all mammals - 100 thousand hairs per square centimeter. Connected by membranes hind limbs The animal resembles long flippers, a short tail, and paws, unlike ordinary otters, without toes.
Like many sea otters, it prefers a diurnal lifestyle: at night it mainly sleeps on the coast, but can also rest in the water, wrapped in seaweed so that it does not get carried away to the sea. During a hunt, a sea otter is quite capable of reaching speeds of up to 16 km/h and diving into the sea up to 55 meters. His favorite food is sea urchins and shellfish. Here's how to get it fresh water, the sea otter doesn’t care at all: he gets it with food, and if necessary, he can drink sea food.
The sea otter rarely moves on land, with difficulty, clumsily bending its body, and if possible, it descends from a cliff on its belly. In case of danger, it can run some distance and make several jumps.
Reproduction
Sexual maturity in these animals begins in the second/third year of life. Mating usually occurs in the spring, in water, and pregnancy lasts from one and a half to two and a half months. Usually two to four babies are born, and birth takes place in a burrow. The otter raises the cubs herself: despite the fact that the male is nearby at this time, after fertilization the female drives him away and strong desire does not experience being seen near him. True, not everyone does this; for example, the eastern otter prefers to live in pairs and raise babies together with the male. 
A newborn otter calf, like many mammals, is born blind, toothless, deaf, and covered in dark gray down. It begins to see quite late - after a month. By this time, their fur acquires the same color as that of their parents, and their weight reaches eight hundred grams. They begin to feed independently only from the age of two months, and begin to move a short distance from their mother only after reaching eight/nine months. True, by the age of one year the animals become completely independent, but still live with their family for some time.
Lutra and man
Unfortunately, in the wild these predators are found less and less often, and therefore almost all of them are listed in the Red Book. An important role in this was played by the reduction of forests, due to which the hydrological regime, active fishing, which reduces the amount of food, pollution of rivers, lakes, seas, oceans and other bodies of water on our planet. The animal suffered greatly due to its extremely warm, thick and soft fur - in some places they were almost completely exterminated by poachers.
To save this subspecies, zoologists often raise otters in artificial conditions, and when the animals reach a certain age, they are released into the wild. Some people even try to keep an otter in their home. Although these animals are extremely intelligent and easily tamed, the domestic otter is not suitable as a pet. best option: It’s not easy to maintain it, especially if you don’t live in a mansion that doesn’t have a pool or pond near it. A bath is not particularly suitable in this case, since the animal bathes often, after which it rolls on the floor to dry its fur (it prefers carpets)
It is so different from its relatives that zoologists are ready to recognize it as a separate order. The river otter, which is very difficult to take photos due to its caution, lives along the banks of fresh water bodies. She prefers mountain rivers or those whose fast current prevents water from freezing in winter, as well as with a rocky or pebble bottom. Therefore, in large valleys waterways it is rare to see her.
It is known that there is a special list for plants - the Red Book. The river otter, unfortunately, is also included there, and not because it was a victim uncontrolled hunting. The fact is that this small predator can only live in very clean water, and the industrial boom in Western Europe at the end of the 19th century greatly polluted the Otter and completely disappeared from the expanses of Switzerland, Great Britain, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands (now attempts are being made there to introduce the animals into their usual habitats). And in other areas of the Old World, the number of animals has decreased significantly.
Subspecies of these creatures are found in Northern and Latin America, in Asia (all the way to Southern China) and, of course, the river otter does not live in arctic tundra. After all, even in winter she needs open water. The largest of the entire species is the South American giant otter, which can reach a weight of 25 kg. By the way, these giants, unlike their brothers who prefer to live alone, live in small communities.
excellent swimmer. Everything about her physique is adapted for long periods underwater. The body is streamlined, elongated, the hind legs are longer than the front legs, and there are membranes between the toes. The almost invisible ears are equipped with a special valve that prevents water from entering the ear canal. Since the animal does not have a thick layer of fat (and remains flexible and fast), all hope of keeping warm relies on fur. It is dense, with coarse guard hairs and a delicate wavy undercoat. But most importantly, it does not get wet at all! When moving in the water, the otter is helped by a flat head and a long, muscular tail. The otter's color is dark brown on top, and its belly is light, slightly silver.
The Eurasian river otter is a small predator. Males reach a body length of 90 cm and a weight of 10 kg, females - much less (55 cm and 6 kg). Their main food is small fish, but these hunters do not disdain eggs and chicks of river birds, frogs, caddis flies. The habitat of one individual is quite small - 250 m of the coastal strip, which it marks with excrement. But the otter neighbors live peacefully, and in times of famine they converge on places where there is food. The animal digs one permanent hole, the entrance to which opens under water. The den itself is dry, warm, lined with moss, grass and leaves. In winter, animals stay close to ice holes or gullies.
The river otter prefers to hunt in the morning and evening. During the day, she basks in the sun, perched on a stone or the trunk of a fallen tree. Her disposition is cheerful and mischievous. Otters often play with themselves: squealing and chirping, they like to slide into the water from inclined surfaces. In captivity, they quickly become tamed, recognize their owner and cuddle like cats. In the wild they live up to 10 years. Otters are very caring mothers. The female bravely defends her brood (usually 3 or 4 cubs) even from humans. The young live with their mother for about a year.
Loading...
