10 Fun Facts about Otters
 

Otters are adorable and fascinating creatures that can be found in rivers, oceans, and coastal areas around the world. These playful animals are known for their endearing personalities, intelligence, and unique habits. Here are just a few fun facts about otters that will make you love them even more! From their playful antics, social behaviours and diet, otters have much to offer for us to learn about them. Otters are not just cute, but also play an important role in their ecosystem as they’re a symbol of a healthy marine ecosystem. In this article, we'll dive deeper into the world of otters and discover some of the most interesting and surprising facts about these beloved animals that you probably never knew before.
 

1. Thirteen different species of otter exist all around the world. Some of them are small river otters, and some are bigger sea otters.

2. 90% of all sea otters live on the coast of Alaska.

3. They’re hungry animals! Sea otters eat 25% of their body weight in food every day.

4. They like to eat sea urchins, crabs, mussels, and clams. They use their whiskers to find small things to eat, and their strong paws to dig for clams.

5. Clever creatures, they will use rocks to crack open clams. They carry rocks and store food under the loose skin under their armpits.

6. Unlike most marine mammals, they don’t have a layer of blubber. But, they do have the thickest fur of all animals!

7. Baby otters are called pups. Newborn pups need lots of attention, and will stay with their mum until they’ve developed enough skills – usually at 6 months.

8. An otter pup’s fur is too dense for it to swim underwater. So their mother leaves them floating while she searches for food, until they get their adult fur.

9. Don’t challenge an otter to a holding-your-breath competition! Sea otters can stay under water for 5 minutes, and river otters can hold their breath for even longer – 8 minutes!

10. Otters like to stick together, so when they sleep they will wrap themselves in seaweed and float together in a group. A group of resting otters is called a raft. We wouldn’t go drifting away on one of these rafts however, otters have a nasty bite!

If that wasn’t enough for you, our range of kids’ clothes features a wide selection of different animal inspired designs so if it’s not otters your kids love, we have other animals to pick from.