I don't know all of the answers, but I imagine it rests largely on local features. Maybe there're particular spots with enough water for otters due to rivers that surrounding areas don't have. I am also curious about the Indian and Malaysian spots though

I know their range in Norway is somewhat spotty. North of Bergen their coastal population is viable and I really wanna make a sadafari trip there to spot some. Otherwise southwards their coastal population have never made a real comeback after the acidic precipitation of earlier times. Inlands is nothing to speak of as of yet except a small populations. I really hope they make a comeback inlands as well and outcompetes the american mink

>>3536
I was looking at a map of the orca population recently, and I noticed how the population is depicted as being present around islands but not in the sea between those islands and the coasts. I wondered at the time if that was because they might just travel across deeper waters but live mostly in costal waters, but it could also be that coasts are where people are to spot orcas.

Point is, I'm wondering if some of the oddities of this map are being driven by humans being in the area to spot otters, or the population being able to identify an otter as an otter and not some other small wildlife. Otters can be sneaky after all, an otter in the underbrush at night would certainly be hard to ID.

>>3641

>Otters can be sneaky after all, an otter in the underbrush at night would certainly be hard to ID

Now this is definitely true! Otters are super sneaky, and most people aren't in tune enough with nature to pay attention to when there's an otter.
pic related

>>3522
That's a great idea! Yeah, the page is completely empty as of now apart from a link. What information do you think should be included in particular? Needs to have some solid facts of course, all about the harm it's doing to the species but also about how hard it is to keep an otter as a pet.

>>3524
I think the biggest thing we should talk about is the harm that the pet otter trade causes to wild otters. I've heard a lot of talk about how poachers kill adult otters for pelts and steal babies for being pets, so that's definitely something to talk about. I also know that there have been a couple of studies of otter cafes and how they're totally unable to care for their otters, so maybe we bring that up somehow?

>>3527
I agree, that's definitely worth mentioning. IMO it's good to keep it short and sweet and get the point across. Why don't we both think about it and write something up? Maybe we can make it into a graphic, too.

>>3528
Sounds like a plan, I'll write something up tonight

Hey, did we ever finish something?

Looks pretty cool! Otter games are definitely something the world could use more of, although I'm not a fan of dice based games (would prefer games where you can prove your ottery skills).

>>3570
Sure is and I hope it'll be more in the future

Added:

>Return of the Eurasian Otter in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Added:

>Upper Peninsula River Otter Project
>We are using snow tracking, camera traps, and DNA from harvested otters to examine the connectivity of river otter populations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We are also interested in how this connectivity affects the otter population size and distribution of disease particularly Toxoplasma gondii.

Arcane Conservancy is currently working with Maharashtra State Forest Department and Local Communities for long-term Otter Research and Awareness Programmes in Coastal Maharashtra.

>>3637
Added!

>>3562
Does it have to be on your head?

>>3563
The Otter Safety and Health Administration agency is very clear that you do need to wear a safety helmet, but it doesn't need to be on your head. This otter is up to code!

>>3567
Well, they are the utmost authority on otter safety, I suppose that otter must be up to code!

>>1614
What's he building in there? With that hook light on the stairs...

>>3613
I don't know what he's making, but I'm sure it'll be well built, whatever it is! Everyone knows otters are brilliant, and that most likely extends to building projects too

Here's a map of all the different families' territories as of 2020

Man, this kind of stuff is cool. Nature really is amazing, and otters are the most amazing part of it.

>>2654
I remember watching something about Singapore's attempts to encourage otters to move in, and I'm glad to see it seems to be successful. Good for people, good for otters.

Apparently Zouk family is now taking over Bishan family territories with a final battle speculated to happen soon
Bishan family has become weak since they lost Bishan Mum, and Zouk has started their campaign against them
https://www.facebook.com/otterscene/videos/741591971094489/

>>3612
I had been wondering if some of the neighbors would move in after I saw news of her death. I'm interested to see how the new territory maps look after the dust settles.

>>876
Potter

Name one word that rhymes with otter? That's a tough challenge, to be sure...
Well, one word that rhymes with otter is daughter, and if I had a daughter, I'd name her Alice, so I'll give 'daughter' the name of Alice.
There, I've completed your challenge. Now, I have one of my own: Can you think of any names that rhyme with otter? They don't have to be common, mind you, so feel free to get as esoteric as you like.

>>3335
It's definitely more than archaic, but Ptolemy's full name was Ptolemy Soter, and depending on how you pronounce that, it can rhyme with otter. But I can't think of anything else right now, I'll see if any other names come to mind

>>876
Water

totter

My offering is a gif but I hope it is acceptable

I have too many lol

One more (:

One more (:

>>3580
Who's he ringing?

Speaking of older otters, I recently learned that there were once lion-sized otters! Giant otters are certainly big boys, but these otts must have really been something else!
https://www.livescience.com/lion-sized-otter-unearthed-ethiopia

>>3558
Were there also giant fish back then? It seems everything was big back then...

>>3559
I suppose that there must have been. I'm far from an expert, but if predators can get that big, it must mean that there was some hefty prey out there to be eaten.

>>3559
Apparently they mostly ate land based prey, very strange otters to not be in the water but also equally interesting to learn about. What a different world we would live in if terrestrial otters were the norm.

>>3564

>What a different world we would live in if terrestrial otters were the norm.

Definitely, but I suppose that, for the creatures living back then, that was normal. So maybe they'd see our watery otters and think we're the strange ones!

I can't get over how small and cute baby otts are!

Baby sea otters bring so much floof into our world

>>3327
It's incredible how such a small little thing turns into a real otter.

https://www.aza.org/connect-stories/stories/first-baby-otters-born-at-connecticuts-beardsley-zoo-in-more-than-a-decade
Found this on the news section, looks like we've got some new otters in Connecticut!

>>3585 Awesome! I hope they'll thrive.

Hoppy Easter everyone!

What a catch, it's not easy to catch a rabbit even as a land predator. I'm sure that otter's family was very happy that day

>>3504
It was definitely a hard fought meal, what with how quick bunnies can be, but the otter obviously came out on top! And I'm sure his family loved it, rabbit does taste good after all

>>3484
Otters can get a surprising amount of birds, from what I can tell. Here's one with another kind of bird, not sure what type

>>3515
That's awesome! Must be some kind of aquatic bird?

Here's another rabbit otter.

>>3515
And this one! From River Otter Ecology Project.

Good stuff, glad there's a reliable place to get otter news! Also, https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/otter-raids-fishpond-at-otter-garden-centre-8645440

>otter raids fishpond

You can't keep the ott out

Correction, I've set it to update daily so you'll always be up to date with otter happenings.

>>2188

>Otter Garden

And they don't even wanna let otters in? What kinda business is this?

https://www.nit.pt/fora-de-casa/na-cidade/morreu-a-lontra-marinha-mais-velha-da-europa-vivia-no-oceanario-de-lisboa
Europe's oldest sea otter died :(
Micas lived in Lisbon Oceanarium and died at age 20

News are back online!

It's a cool bug, I like the colour. What other animals have otter versions?

Cormorants! I learned that these birds are excellent swimmers, and they can dive up to 45 meters deep. How cool is that?

I had thought penguins might be otter-birds, but they're more like sea lions than otters I'd say.

>>3473

>45 meters

I wonder if they ever get the bends.

>>3449
After doing some research, they occasionally get on land in a process called hauling out. From what I can tell, they do it to get away from predators and to help warm up. Makes sense that getting on land would be warmer than the cold ocean water, and I can't think of any land predators in those regions that would target sea otters, so it seems like a good place to go and relax a bit

>>3523 Hauling out? Isn't that what it's called when seals go on land? Idk, sea otters can kinda still walk, they don't really "haul", do they?

>>3525
That's true, hauling might not be the best term. But I think it might be a general behavior applied to marine mammals, which would encompass both seals and sea otters. I'm far from an expert, this is just what I got from a quick Googling

>>3526
Oh right, so it's a marine mammal thing. I wonder if it applies to other marine mammals? Maybe just those that live in the sea a majority of the time?

>>3523
Wolves do hunt sea otters in Alaska, but they've only started doing this after all the deer disappeared.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-alaska-hungry-wolves-have-started-eating-sea-otters-180981509/

I've also discovered this, there was actually a newsgroup about otters. There's a lot of spam and nonsense but fun to click through nonetheless.
https://groups.google.com/g/alt.animals.otters

>>3309
One thing I'd like to have more of is all the personal otter encounter stories, but sadly that's a very rare thing and we are only few, so we won't get those kinds of tales often

>>3309
Sometimes I wonder how much we should advertise Otterchat. On the one hand, more otternons is always a good thing, but on the other hand, rapid influxes of new people always worry me. But maybe I'm just being a Nervous Nancy about it

>>3316
Personally, I think just telling friends about it is enough. Direct advertising usually doesn't work at all, people just need to discover this place naturally by finding something they're looking for in it. The way the internet is right now, maybe that's a little hard for most people, but I think this place is already pretty successful as it is considering how niche of a topic it covers.

At this point I see no problem with advertising the site. We've got a captcha to keep unqualified posters out, so we should be able to advertise as much as we want. We should still be smart about it of course, don't just spam links or anything.

>>2676 Always being curious is a big part of what makes an otter an otter. Even if something seems boring and mundane at first glance, just take a moment to take it in and appreciate it. And maybe it'll turn out to be something fascinating.

>>2652
It reminds me of the Prophet's saying, "The Paradise is surrounded by hardships".

>>3475
The principle of getting in the water also points toward the merits of self-discipline and commitment. The water may not be enjoyable or pleasant. It may be cold and uncomfortable. But the water is rewarding all the same. There is something to be gained from getting in the water. Something that is greater than the unpleasant feeling that comes from getting in it. You may make that leap into the water, and you may catch a fish or a crab, and then eat and be satisfied for the rest of the day. Those few minutes in the water getting over your own aversion to the discomfort of being in the aquatic environment brought you something much better than just avoiding having to endure the water for a short while.

This is a lesson for us, too. When the prophet said that Paradise is surrounded by hardships, he was referring to the trials and hardships a believer endures in this life to gain the ultimate reward in the next. There are unpleasant and uncomfortable things in our lives which we endure because we know that they will bring us to a better outcome.

Why do otters get in the water? To catch the fish. You don't just have to ask yourself what the water is, but what the fish is, as well. Not only what it is you may have to endure, but what you hope to gain from it.

I like this thread
https://ia801604.us.archive.org/2/items/get-in-the-water/get-in-the-water.ia.mp4

>>3487
This is pretty swell, thanks for sharing!

>>2436 either a fight or very fierce love.

>>2442
Otters love hard and fight hard

>>2453 Passionate otters!

>>1783
They definitely do it for fun, playfighting is simply one of otter's many sports.

>>2436 You just can't tell sometimes.

>>1079
A lot of the great natural processes will involve otters in some capacity

>>1155
In a perfect world.
Dubdubs confirm that's the way it's supposed 2b.

1000 miles per hour

These are magnificent

Otters are candy for the eyes

>>2351
Sounds like a funny otter picture, can you post it?

I like saying otter
otter

>>2341 I hope you see otters soon

>>2354

>Otters are candy for the eyes

Except otters are good for you.

I've shortened it by now, I just say 'ter

>>3115
I like to believe this was a two otter job, where the first one deliberately distracted the human so the second could execute the grab. A well planned otter heist.

>>3116 Perhaps. Or maybe the second otter just saw a good opportunity to grab that bucket. Not planned, but well executed.

>>3117
Though have to say otters seem like animals that are enough in tune with each other to plan complex things like that. They'd be able to solve problems together like (how do we steal the guy's bucket without him noticing).

>>2029
How about a bucket full of water? I believe humans call that a pool

>>3443 That would be perfect for otters.
And that pic is just the cutest!

It's better with friends and family.

>>3371 us

>>3372 as your fellow otterpal, I heartily agree!

>>1896
Those are defintely his

>>3119
This is so cool! Might pick it up as a Christmas gift to myself.

A Ring of Bright Water (1960) and its sequels are an amazing set of autobiographical novels about Gavin Maxwell and his lutrine companions.

I recommend them ONLY to the stout of heart, though (especially the latter ones), as they get exceedingly sad.

But if you're into otters (if you're not, why are you reading this thread!), reading (see my previous parentheses), and you don't mind a little sadness, definitely check out A Ring of Bright Water!

>>3379
Thanks for sharing this! How do you think the book compares to the film? I'd love to give it a read if I weren't so lazy about reading heh

>>3389
I think the movie is at least as good for otter enjoyers... perhaps better? But for someone more interesting in Maxwell (or the writing in general), the book is obviously superior. If you're lazy about reading, the movie'll probably be fine lol.

It's more for beginner otterlovers, but there are lots of good testimonials and pics of otts in this. It's by the otter specialist group! https://weloveotterscom.files.wordpress.com/2016/10/the_otter_book_definitivo_web.pdf

>>2754
>>2755
looks like one of those otter cafes, evil places.

>>3402 Nice squeaks. Did you take this anon?

>>3403
Sadly no. A friend sent it to me.

>>2757 The otters are still cute, though.

>>3278 So cool, what an amazing pair of otters! It's lovely seeing them twirl around underwater.

>>3280
I'd bet some of it is that otters check stuff out by sniffing it, and so that's the first part of the otter that touches something with snow

>>3296 That's what I thought too. You stick your nose into everything,eventually something's gonna stick back.

Otters have to work a little harder for their food in the snow but they also get to enjoy themselves playing in it, so it's a fair trade right?

>>3281