An otter is a playful, semi-aquatic mammal with a long body and thick fur that lives near rivers, lakes, or the sea and eats mostly fish and shellfish.
From Old English “otor” or “oter,” from Proto-Germanic “*utrō,” related to words for “water.” The name is ancient and closely tied to its watery lifestyle.
Sea otters use rocks as tools to crack open shellfish, sometimes carrying their favorite rock in a skin fold like a pocket. They also hold paws while sleeping so they don’t drift apart—one of the rare cases where ‘cute’ behavior is a survival strategy.
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