Did you know ...
... that river otters spend half of their lives sleeping? That can mean ten years of snoozing for many otters! Well, it takes a lot of rest for the river—or land—otter to protect its reputation for playfulness and activity.
River otters do not have tail flippers, but only webbed hind feet. In water, otters are limited to speeds of around six miles per hour, but they can dive to depths of 60 feet and stay submerged for more than four minutes. On land, river otters scoot along at about fifteen miles per hour in a combination of running and sliding. That could wear anyone out.
Although their vision is not especially good, river otters have well-developed senses of smell and hearing. They also use their whiskers to detect prey when hunting and obstructions when swimming. And speaking of smell, the animals can discharge a strong, disagreeable scent from a pair of a**l glands when threatened or disturbed. So, let those sleeping river otters lie!
Learn more about river otters from the Alaska Wildlife Notebook Series.
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Yes this does have some of my older work in it, but it is mostly facts and history.
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