ANIMALS IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION

Sliding and wrestling, belly flopping and somersaulting, river otters really know how to play! They take advantage of any slippery slope for fun, whether it’s a summer slide down a muddy hill or a winter thrill on snow and ice. The energetic animals launch themselves downhill sliding headfirst over and over again. They glide on their bellies with their front paws by their sides.

River otters are aquatic mammals. They generally live along rivers, as their name implies, but they’re also found near streams and lakes. Otters prefer water bordered by woods and with wetlands, such as marshes, nearby.

Flexing their long bodies up and down, paddling with their webbed hind feet, and using their feet and strong tails to steer, river otters are underwater acrobats. They can stay underwater for up to four minutes, after which they must surface to breathe. As they dive, they close their ears and nostrils to keep water out. They hunt underwater, skillfully chasing fish, their main food. Otters grab their prey in their mouths. They eat small fish that they catch right in the water, holding the food with their forepaws while floating on their backs. When the otters catch large fish, they haul them onto shore to dine.

While river otters spend most of their time in water, they do travel across land as well—often in search of a mate. Otters even make their land travel look playful. They run a few steps and then slide on their bellies. One slide can be as long as 20 feet (6 meters) and may reach a speed of 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour. Clearly, otters know how to have fun.

The main reason why people used to hunt the Giant River Otter is that its fur is the finest in the world and sold for high prices. Many Giant River Otter pelts were imported to the U.S. and Europe. Between 1960 and 1969 a Giant River Otter pelt was worth $50, so everybody wanted to hunt them. In the 1980’s a Giant River Otter pelt sold for $250 in European markets. The Giant River Otter is easy to kill because it is big and also active in the daytime. It is a social and curious creature. From the 1940’s through the 1970’s, people hunted the Giant River Otter so much that it almost became extinct. Today there are only 2,000 – 5,000 Giant River Otters left.  It is now a protected species.