35 Interesting Facts & Trivia About the Adorable Sea Otter

1. There are 13 different species of otters, and two of them can be found in the United States: the North American river otter and the sea otter. The others are:

• The European otter, which can be found in Europe, parts of North Africa, and most of Asia.
• The Japanese otter, which was unfortunately declared extinct in August 2012.
• The Hairy-nosed otter is endangered and the rarest otter in Asia, but can still be found in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
• The Smooth-coated otter has been seen in Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, and India. There are even some hanging out in Iraq.
• Spotted-necked otters are native to sub-Saharan Africa.
• Marine otters are almost exclusively found on the southwestern coast of South America.
• Neotropical river otters are found all over Central and South America.
• Southern river otters live in the southern part of South America in Chile and Argentina.
• Giant river otters are often found in the Amazon river basin in South America.
• Asian small-clawed otters live all over Southeast Asia, including islands like Borneo, Sumatra, and Java.  
• African clawless otters are scattered all over middle and southern Africa.

2. Otters are one of the very few mammals that can actually use tools. More specifically, they tend to use a rock that acts as a hammer and breaks open shells, like the crabs and sea urchins they eat.

3. Speaking of otters and rocks, many of them have a favorite rock that they’re always carrying with them.

4. Otters can play basketball!  

5. Giant otters have a language. One study found that adult giant otters make 22 different sounds that communicate different things. They can hum to soothe fellow otters, growl to defend their food, and shout to warn others of oncoming danger. Younger otters have their own sounds that communicate hunger.  

6. Unfortunately, pretty much all 13 species of otter are classified as threatened to some degree. Their conservations statuses range from extinct to endangered and vulnerable to threatened. The North American river otter is the only species marked as “Least Concern (LC)” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but they are a protected species in some areas.

7. Sea otters can weigh between 45 and 90 pounds.

8. Otters belong to the Mustelidae family of carnivorous mammals. They’re related to wolverines, weasels, badgers, minks, polecats, martens, and ferrets.

9. Pairs of otters have been known to hold hands when they nap and it every bit as endearing as you think it is.

10. Neotropical otter pups are born blind, yet completely furred.

11. The diet of Asian small-clawed otters includes mudskippers, frogs, rats, snakes, catfish, and crabs.

12. For a few hundred years, otters were hunted for their pelts to be made into clothes. Children were known to wear otter mittens, and Chinese royalty wore them as robes. This is probably unpleasant information for anyone who counts the otter as their favorite animal.

13. The Otterhound is a British dog breed that specialized in hunting otters. However, the UK Kennel Club has placed them on the list of Vulnerable Native Breeds due to the declining popularity of otter-hunting. There are less than 600 Otterhounds in the world.

14. The Japanese otter population decreased suddenly in the 1930s, due to hunting, human development, and pollution. Very few were seen for the rest of the century, with its last known sighting in 1979. The Ministry of the Environment officially declared it extinct in 2012.

15. A group of otters resting together is called a raft. This is apt because not only do they love to rest in groups, they tend to wrap themselves in seaweed to keep from drifting away from each other.

16. A group of otters hanging out on land is called a romp.

17. About 90% of all sea otters in the world live in coastal Alaska, including in Glacier Bay National Park and Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

18. When smooth-coated otters copulate, it occurs in the water and doesn’t even last a full minute. Presumably, their lack of stamina in this department does not give them performance anxiety issues.

19. Female otters are called sows. Male otters are called boars. Their children are called pups.

20. The rare marine otters are protected by law in Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

21. Just like many humans who enjoy fun and swimming, otters love water slides.

22. In addition to fish, the marine otter’s diet has been known to consist of mollusks, shrimp, crab, and many kinds of crustaceans.

23. Even though they are not marsupials, otters store their tools and food in a loose patch of skin under their armpit.

24. Georg Wilhelm Steller was the first European to visit Alaska in 1741, and while he was there, the zoologist and naturalist was the first to scientifically describe the otter.

25. With up to one million hair follicles per square inch, sea otters have the thickest fur of any animal.

26. North American river otters can grow up to four feet in length and weigh up to 30 pounds.

27. Being that both species inhabit South America, giant river otters and neotropical otters overlap habitats.

28. Otters can hold their breaths underwater for a very long time. River otters have been known to do so for up to eight minutes. Naturally, this helps them forage for food.

29. Smooth-coated otters forage on river banks and are known to eat snakes, rats, and catfish. They have been seen swallowing fishes head-first in just one piece.

30. The giant otter can grow up to almost six feet in length.

31. Otter poop is called spraint. It’s even in the dictionary so you can look it up yourself if you don’t believe us.

32. Many otters love to eat shellfish, and their powerful jaws and strong teeth are very useful in cracking them open. 

33. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a 24-hour live otter cam that you can access anytime! Bookmark it if you ever need a pick-me-up, but keep in mind that otters sleeping at night tend to be slightly less adorable than they are when they’re playing in the daytime.

34. Fishermen in southern Bangladesh have been known to breed smooth-coated otters so they could use them to chase fish into their nets, kind of like dogs rounding up sheep. 

35. Back when otters were prominently hunted, the prized trophy hunters would take was the penis bone, which they would use as a tie-pin. Fucked up, right? Like, why would anyone ever want to wear an otter’s dick on their tie.

Gift Ideas for the Otter Lover in Your Life

Does the workaholic in your life love otters and also happens to need a tape dispenser? Are you one yourself? Then this is absolutely perfect. It’s wonderfully detailed in all its otter-like adorableness and the tape dispenser perfectly encapsulates their playful nature. It’s sure to bring a quick smile to anyone who visits your desk and may even make you the most popular person in the office for anyone who needs to borrow a piece of tape. If you work from home, you’ll get to have the otter all to yourself!

Are you looking for a place to keep your rings, necklaces, and other jewelry? If so, you’ll probably love this jewelry stand of an otter on its back with paws up, enabling you to slot rings onto and hang necklaces off of. Though the description says it’s for your wife, mother, sister, or girlfriend, you are free to purchase this item for yourself. Don’t let societal gender constructs tell you whether or not you should buy a jewelry stand. You do you, friend.

If the laws where you live prohibit you from keeping a pet otter, then this 12” plush doll from Wild Republic should be the next best thing. Buy it, enjoy it, snuggle with it, give it a name, buy another one for your child, and hug it and squeeze it and let it melt away all your stress. Stuffed animals are awesome—never let anyone tell you that you’re too old for them.

Otters come with a pun-worthy name, as seen in a vast array of products, like: