Below
are some otter facts to help you with your entry:
Otter
1 has been
at the Aquarium since the original River Journey building
opened in 1992. Like other otters, he enjoys eating fish,
crayfish and aquatic invertebrates. A graceful swimmer,
he walks with an awkward humpbacked gait when on land.
Otter
2 recently came to the Tennessee Aquarium
from the Pittsburgh Zoo. He is a terrific swimmer (like
all otters). When swimming on the surface, you’ll
see him doggy paddling, but under the water he becomes quite
graceful and swims with his entire body.
Otter
3 also hails from the Pittsburgh Zoo and
came to the Aquarium with Otter 2. One of the first things
you might notice about this otter (as well as all other
otters) is his thick, sleek coat of fur. This coat is made
up of two types of hair and helps keep him warm and dry
in cold mountain streams.
Superior
Swimmers
Otters are well-designed for swimming and living in cold
mountain streams. A member of the weasel family, an otter
has an elongated body, short legs, webbed feet and a long
stout tail. Out of the water it walks with an awkward humpbacked
gait, sometimes belly-sliding down muddy or snow-covered
hills. On the surface of the water it dog paddles, but underwater
the otter swims with its entire body, pushing with its webbed
feet and steering with its long tail. Its thick, sleek coat,
which keeps it dry and warm, is made up of two types of
hair. The longer outer hairs, called guard hairs, are water
repellent.
What’s
for dinner?
Unlike other species of otter (like well-known sea otter),
North American river otters catch prey with their mouths,
not their hands. Although otters are quick swimmers, their
skill is better shown in their ability to maneuver rapidly,
which helps them chase down prey.
Otter
facts:
• Common name: North American river otter
• Scientific name: Lutra canadensis
• These animals are found in streams,
lake borders, swamps and rivers of
North, Central and South America.
• In the wild, they eat fish, frogs,
crayfish, other aquatic invertebrates, small
turtles and turtle eggs, as well as snakes.
• At the Aquarium, they can be found
in the Appalachian Cove Forest
exhibit on level four of
the River Journey building.
