Just signed up, it sounds like a good time.

These otters are relatively small. An adult marine otter can reach 6 kg, where a sea otter can weigh up to 45 kg.

Another name for the marine otter is sea cat.

A very special otter indeed.

Wow, that's a bunch of cool facts! I always thought the marine otter was cool, but I didn't know all this stuff about it

>>3288 Wow, that's one small otter. Especially for a marine mammal. Doesn't make it any less otter of course.

>>2915 That's one scary otter, wouldn't wanna get in his way

>>2909
I like this otter, they look so proud of themselves. Thanks for sharing anon!

>>2547
I get it

Found this on my hard drive

>>3126
This one has a much fatter tail

>>3131
Could just be the perspective.
What otters have the thickest tails?

>>3134
I don't know about the thickest, but neotropical otters have the longest tails relative to size. It's why they're called lontra longicaudis.

>>1905
hahahaha

>>466
Otters are perfectly shaped just as they are.

>>466
I have to agree with >>467

>Otters are perfectly shaped just as they are.

In any dimension or realm, the Otter will be conformed to the Perfect Shape for that Sphere of Reality. In our 3D world, the 3D Otter represents the perfect fluidity of God-in-Motion as river-dwelling apex carnivore/Olympic cuddler.
Howeevr, if viewed in quantum space, the Otter will indeed be a very different shape: it will conform itself into the most perfect expression of God-in-Motion for that dimension.
Thus, the Otter is always perfectly adapted for maximum beuaty according to its local environment.

You get smartier just reading this thread

>>439
Otters make more sounds than just their squeaks, I've found. Even just sniffing to find out information about their environment can create otter sounds

>>3360
Those are some very curious otts! I'm always surprised at how fast otters can be on land. I expect them to be fast in water, but I forget they can just be generally speedy.

They can kinda look like big mice, I think.

>>3174

>Why do otters kind of look like seals sometimes?

More like seals look like otters!

But in all actuality, I think that it's because they're both marine animals, and thus are adapted to move best in those types of environments

Just doesn't have quite the otter energy yet.

>>2239 It's doing a good job simulating a very tired otter.

Oh no, that's so sad! I'm gonna miss Bishan Mum, she was such an important part of bringing back otters in Singapore, what with all the babies that she had. Still, at least she went in a peaceful way. :(

>>3300
She did have a lot of babies, IIRC it was over 40. She really left a great legacy

An inverted Otter is usually a sign that total relaxation is occurring

>>2312

>>2312
It can also be a sign of scratches being had

>>2355
Which itself can also be an indicator of comfort and relaxation for otts

>>2312

>An inverted Otter is usually a sign that total relaxation is occurring

Certainly, after all, it's the only way they can put their feet up.

IOSF have put together a neat little quiz about otters here. Apparently there's a prize, too, but they won't say what it is (curious!). Regardless it's a neat way to test your knowledge.

https://s.pointerpro.com/wadotterquiz

Have they named any winners yet? I myself don't really have anyone to nominate...

They've finally announced the winners:

>Photography/Artwork – Talia Rose, USA - Check out the great photo below!

<----

>Young Person - Lim Wei Hang and Haizan anak Kamarul Zaman Malaysian Nature Society, Malaysia - For their incredible knowledge, passion and help during IOSF/MNS Workshop in April.
>Group or Organisation - Chesapeake Bay Otter Alliance: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, USA - Monitoring of North American River Otter’s on Chesapeake Bay, USA.
>Community Achievement – Krunal Trivedi, Nature Club Surat, India - Otter-community conflict management, outreach and mitigation methods.
>Research – WildTrack - Frederick Kistner, Larissa Slaney (and co-contributors Asaf Ben David , Zoe Jewell and Sky Alibhair) - For the development of technology using otter footprints to monitor populations.
>Special Award - Dr Wolfgang Gettmann , Germany - Wolfgang has been creating awareness of the problems facing otters, particularly in Germany, for many years and continues to be a passionate advocate for their conservation.

Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.

>>2495 Otter things

>>819
Here's some schlippers.

>>2514 Always good to see otter thirst being quenched

Cute otter!

>>2514 I love this vid

welcome

Hey, you guys are welcome to visit us any time. I like having visitors. Just don't post so many threads please

>>2974 €55 collected so far, not bad.

Here's some news:
UKWOT are coming out with their own magazine publication, with the first issue being available for free.
https://ukwildottertrust.org/ukwot-supporters-club-magazine

>>2974
Money has been received, and our very own supporter board is now in the making!

They've got two new young otters at the sanctuary! Hansel and Gretel were taken in as orphaned cubs a couple of weeks ago. Aren't they the cutest pair of otts you ever did see?

>>3161
Aww, they're so cute! I'm sure they're gonna be getting the best care with the UKWOT

I glad soup otters' numbers have been recovering.

>>1762
As with other otter species, it's all about habitat. The more soup for them to live in, the more soup otters.
Make soup, not war!

This is getting me in the mood for some soup

>>1763 What kinds of soup do soup otters like?

Waiter there's 500000 hairs per square inch in my soup

>>3141
Probably, otters are very wise after all, they know many things.

I'd say they are at least vaguely aware.

>tfw don't live in a country with an otter population

If I did I would look into volunteering for a charity. I'm not a vet but shit if someone 200 miles away said they found an otter cub in their garden I could pick it up for the charity.

If I had bigger balls I'd make a career out of hunting down poachers in SEA

>>2759
That makes me think. Are there any remote Otter jobs, for those of us who don't live near otters?

>>2760
Charities sometimes have volunteer openings for work in the media space, where you could work remotely editing content and stuff.

>>2759
I don't even know how one can go the poacher hunting route
how do you even get hired

>>3142
You'd have to become a ranger in one of the anti-poaching units in sub-saharan Africa. These guys are mainly focused on protecting rhinos and elephants from poachers in what's known as the Rhino War. You'll go through military-style training to fight poaching gangs and wildlife traffickers, well-funded organized criminals who have access to armored vehicles, helicopters and modern weapons, which they can pay for by smuggling ivory to Asia. You on the other hand will need to make do, you're much more restricted both by laws (can't wear camouflage in some African countries, not allowed to shoot first, etc) and your budget, which means you're getting an AK47 with two magazines. Then they send you to the African jungle where you'll patrol for several days, sleeping in a hammock and surviving off bugs on the floor.

You can join them as a volunteer, but you usually need to be at least a permanent resident of the country where they operate or else they can't give you a gun. Pic is from one of the better-known ones. I'm not aware of such units existing in the SEA region, though it would be great if we could intervene against otter poaching. Imagine if the poachers came to get the baby otters but got a bloody nose instead. Don't know what needs to happen for that to be possible, but I'm sure it is.

Masters of Bush, River, Sea, Art AND trees? Are ottes OP?

>>2912
Sometimes it seems like otters are too powerful, but in truth, they can do what they can do because they've got to do what they've got to do.

>>2912
They're also expert musicians!

>>2913
Otts've gotta ott

>>2912 That otter is making some nice abstract impressionist art.

>>2920
I bet otter art would be really valuable. They should put it up in art museums to show what true artistry is

>>2149
This is like stuff straight from my nightmares.

>>2185
How could you have a nightmare about an otter? That is just utterly ridiculous

>>2185
How could you hate this face?

(pic is from Longleat park)

>>1870
I’d love to watch some sort of movie where a bunch of different types of otters come together to help each other out

>>3059
Someone should write a new Redwall book about different otter tribes banding together.

Excellent question, and not easy to answer. I think it's the elegance and sublimity of everything they do, combined with their relaxed, curious attitude. Otters are animals that are at peace with themselves and their surroundings while at the same time dying to learn more about everything.

As has been said, this is difficult to answer exactly. Of course otters are cute, which was an initial reason for my interest in them, but as I've grown to understand more about them, the importance that they have on their ecosystem has a beauty in and of itself. And the ease that they display within their ecosystem has such a natural beauty to it. And otter never tries harder than he has to, and always has time for play and fun

>>3049
I'm fond of how sleek they look

I love their adorable faces

I also just love the way they are formed

The hike

A bat lives in this house

>>3031
I couldn't agree more. You come with a frown and leave with a smile. It feels like together we can actually get something done for otters.

The early bird payment deadline is this sunday, register and pay now to get the reduced fee!
Register here
Pay here

Two weeks...!

>>2956 Time goes fast

And now it's only one week

Official program is out.

>>2875 looks like you already do

Something's going on here guys, I think we better be careful
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/19/seal-breaks-into-new-zealand-home-traumatises-cat-and-hangs-out-on-couch

>>2923
I saw this and immediately thought of this thread! Good to see I wasn't alone.

Otties are always welcome guests in my house though I'm not sure if they'll be as nicely received everywhere

>>2930
Hopefully that'll just serve to drive otters where they'd be truly appreciated

>>2512
I will confess, I don’t know this strictly about otter brains. Most of what I said was an extrapolation from knowledge about the structure of how brains work and what the different regions do. I was on track to become a neurosurgeon for some time, but I dropped out of med school before it actually happened, so I’m not overly qualified, but I have some basic understanding of the brain as an organ, and so I just applied that knowledge to an image of an otter brain that I found and information about otter senses that I found online. So, you know, don’t take my word as gospel or anything, it’s more my best guess as to why otter heads are the way that they are.

>>2516
Oh, that's still a nice theory though, and it does make sense. Maybe there's another explanation though.
You were studying to become a neurosurgeon? That's really cool, how's life been going since you dropped out? I hope you found your calling.

>>2518
I'm glad you think it's reasonable, it's the best explanation that I could come up with for why there'd be a ridge like that in that specific area. And technically, I wasn't studying to be a neurosurgeon, that's just the specialization that I was looking at before I dropped out of med school. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose. Life's been fine since then though, I'm looking at becoming a teacher of some sort, probably teaching English if I can do what I want.

Other carnivores have the same thing going on, I noticed
Dogs have it too, bears have it, raccoons have it, cats maybe to a lesser extent.

>>2901
Now I'd really like to know what's going on. Maybe this is just how the frontal/parietal bone grows in carnivores?

Here's a video of her, she was a big clapper.

RIP Betty
Hope they can find out what happened

Unfortunately, sometimes otters just pass. It happens to people too; I had a friend who died at 18 of an diagnosed heart condition with no symptoms at all, she just didn't wake up one day. I do hope it's something like that rather than foul play, it takes a special kind of mean to be mean to an otter.

>>2844
That's really sad, hope you got through that alright
When your time's up there doesn't need to be a rational cause I suppose

There don't seem to be any news... But they have a four month old sea otter pup they recently rescued, still nameless

>>2842
That's just how those cheeky otters are, they can sense when someone's after them. Animals have all kinds of senses that science can't explain, they often seemingly know things they shouldn't.

>>2842 I still hope you'll get to see them btw

>>2842
I had a thought. How about we all go to Scotland to watch otters together?
Something like this https://www.otter.org/Public/Events_OtterWatchingDays.aspx seems like a great meetup occasion to me.

>>2858
That sounds pretty cool
The tick warning has me spooked though. Forgot how tick and midge ridden Scotland is

Something for UK otter friends
https://www.mammal.org.uk/national-otter-survey/