Term
| What scientific Order and Family do Otters belong to? |
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Definition
| Otters belong to the scientific order Carnivora and the family Mustelidae. |
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Term
| Name some characteristics of the Mustelidae family. Name 3 other animals who are members of this family. |
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Definition
| Mustelidae are characterized by generally long, streamline bodies, fine dense hair and scent glands at the base of the tail. Weasels, minks, badgers are also Mustelidae. |
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Term
| Describe the habitat for an Asian Small Clawed Otter. What are their dens like? |
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Definition
| Asian small clawed otters live in fresh and brackish habitats including rivers, creeks, estuaries and coastal water in Southeast Asia to the Malay penisula. Their dens are similar to beaver's dens with the opening below water which slopes upward into a nesting chamber above the high water level. |
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Term
| What is the largest species of River Otter? What is the smallest species of all otters? |
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Definition
| The largest otter species is the Giant Otter reaching the lengths from 57 - 71 in. with the longest recorded length of 94 in. The smallest otter is the Asian small clawed otter measuring 26 -37 in. |
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Term
| Why do otters have such flexible bodies? |
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Definition
| Otters have flexible bodies allowing them to groom almost every inch of their fur. |
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Term
| Why do otters have short legs? |
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Definition
| The otters short legs enable them to swim, walk, groom and manipulate prey. |
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Term
| How do river and clawless otters use their tails? |
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Definition
| River and clawless otters use their tails to propel itself when swimming at high speed, to steer when swimming slowly and to balance when standing upright on its hind legs. |
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Term
| Which sense is the most important for communication between freshwater otter species? Explain. |
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Definition
| Their sense of smell is most important to freshwater otter for communication. Otters use the scent glands at the base of their tail to deposit their musky scent on their spraint (feces). Each otter's scent is as unique as a fingerprint and communicates information such as identity, age, sex and breeding readiness. Scent is especially important in marking territorial boundaries. |
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Term
| What is a typical diet of an Asian small-clawed otter? |
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Definition
| The typical diet of an Asian Small Clawed Otter consists of crabs, crustaceans, mollusks and frogs. |
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Term
| Why do otters eat so much food? What percentage of their body weight does a river otter eat per day? |
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Definition
| Otters have very high metabolic rates. They consume 15-20% of their total body weight each day. |
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Term
| How long is an Asian small-clawed otter's gestation? How long can delayed implantation last? |
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Definition
| The gestation period for an Asian small clawed otter is 2 months, however there can be a period up to 10 months of delayed implantation. |
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Term
| What is a natural predator of a healthy adult otter? |
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Definition
| Adult Otters are the top predator on their food chain so they have few natural predators. Very old otters or pups can fall prey to a number of land predators including wolves, birds of prey and large reptiles. |
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Term
| What are the 2 most devastating ways human have impacted otters? |
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Definition
| The 2 most devastating ways humans have impacted otters are hunting and oil spills. All otter species have been hunted for their thick velvety fur. Oil spills devastate otter populations when crude oil penetrates their fur and disrupts the interlocking arrangement of the underhairs and displaces the air layer. The fur then loses as much as 70% of its insulative qualities. Ingestation of crude oil causes numerous physiological problems such as anemia, shock, seizures, hypoglycemia as well as organ damage. |
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