View source for Otter

{{short description|Subfamily of mammals (Lutrinae)}}
{{About|the animal}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Otter
| fossil_range = [[Middle Miocene]] to present<ref name=Koepfli2008 />
| image = Fischotter, Lutra Lutra.JPG
| image_caption = [[Eurasian otter]] (''Lutra lutra'')
| taxon = Lutrinae
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1838
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Aonyx]]''
* ''[[Enhydra]]''
* ''[[Hydrictis]]''
* ''[[Lontra]]''
* ''[[Lutra]]''
* ''[[Lutrogale]]''
* ''[[Pteronura]]'' 
* †''[[Enhydriodon]]''
* †''[[Algarolutra]]'' 
* †''[[Cyrnaonyx]]'' 
* †''[[Megalenhydris]]'' 
* †''[[Sardolutra]]'' 
* †''[[Siamogale]]'' 
* †''[[Teruelictis]]''
* †''[[Satherium]]'' 
* †''[[Enhydritherium]]''
}}
| type_genus = ''[[Lutra]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Morten Thrane Brünnich|Brünnich]], 1771
| range_map = 
| range_map_caption = 
}}

'''Otters''' are carnivorous [[mammal]]s in the [[Rank (zoology)|subfamily]] '''Lutrinae'''. The 14 extant otter [[species]] are all [[semiaquatic]], both [[freshwater ecosystem|freshwater]] and [[marine ecosystem|marine]]. Lutrinae is a branch of the [[Mustelidae]] [[family (biology)|family]], which includes [[weasel]]s, [[badger]]s, [[mink]], and [[wolverine]]s, among other animals.

Otters are distinguished by their long, slim bodies, powerful [[webbed feet]] for swimming, and their dense fur, which keeps them warm and buoyant in water. They are playful animals, engaging in activities like sliding into water on natural slides and playing with stones.

Otters exhibit a varied life cycle with a [[gestation]] period of about 60–86 days, and offspring typically stay with their family for a year. They can live up to 16 years, with their diet mainly consisting of fish and sometimes [[frog]]s, birds, or [[shellfish]], depending on the species. 

There are 14 known species of otters, ranging in size and habitat preferences, with some species adapted to cold waters requiring a high [[metabolic]] rate for warmth. Otter-human interactions have varied over time, with otters being hunted for their [[pelt]]s, used in [[otter fishing|fishing practices]] in southern Bangladesh, and occasionally attacking humans, though such incidents are rare and often a result of provocation. Otters hold a place in various cultures' mythology and religion, symbolizing different attributes and stories, from [[Norse mythology]] to [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] [[totem]]s and Asian folklore, where they are sometimes believed to possess shapeshifting abilities.

== Etymology ==
The word ''otter'' derives from the [[Old English language|Old English]] word {{lang|ang|otor}} or {{lang|ang|oter}}. This and cognate words in other [[Indo-European languages]] ultimately stem from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] word {{lang|ine-x-proto|wódr̥}}, which also gave rise to the English word "water".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/otter |title=Otter |work=Merriam Webster's online dictionary |access-date=16 September 2009 |archive-date=24 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424124536/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/otter |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{OEtymD|otter}}</ref>

== Terminology ==
An otter's den is called a holt, or couch. Male otters are called dogs or boars; females are called bitches or sows; and their offspring are called pups or cubs.<ref>{{Cite book| title=Otters: ecology, behaviour and conservation| author=Kruuk H| page=7| publisher=Oxford Biology| isbn=978-0-19-856587-1 | year=2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.mammal.org.uk/species-hub/full-species-hub/discover-mammals/species-otter/|title= Species: Otter|author= <!--Not stated-->|publisher= The Mammal Society|access-date= 27 June 2022|archive-date= 25 May 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220525031700/https://www.mammal.org.uk/species-hub/full-species-hub/discover-mammals/species-otter/|url-status= live}}</ref> The [[collective noun]]s for otters are bevy, family, lodge, romp (being descriptive of their often playful nature), or, when in water, raft.<ref>M & P Briggs, ''The Natural History of British Isles'', pp. 334–35{{ISBN?}}</ref><ref name="OTWO">{{cite web|url=http://www.otter-world.com/facts-about-otters/|title=Facts about otters|date=5 March 2014 |publisher=Otter World|access-date=1 January 2016|archive-date=2 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302124416/http://www.otter-world.com/facts-about-otters/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[feces]] of otters are typically identified by their distinctive aroma, the smell of which has been described as ranging from freshly mown hay to putrefied fish;<ref name="btinternet">{{cite web|url=http://www.ottersite.btinternet.co.uk/spraints.htm|website=archive.today|title=Spraint Analysis|access-date=28 September 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908081151/http://www.ottersite.btinternet.co.uk/spraints.htm|archive-date=8 September 2012}}</ref> these are known as [[spraint]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |title=What Shat That?: A Pocket Guide to Poop Identity |author=Pagett, Matt |year=2007 |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=978-1-58008-885-5}}</ref>

== Life cycle ==
[[File:Otter playing - 2015 11 08.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=0|A [[sea otter]] playing in captivity.]]

The [[gestation]] period in otters is about 60 to 86 days. The newborn pup is cared for by the bitch, dog, and older offspring. Female otters reach [[sexual maturity]] at approximately two years of age and males at approximately three years. The holt is built under tree roots or a rocky cairn, more common in Scotland. It is lined with moss and grass.

After one month, the pup can leave the holt and after two months, it is able to swim. The pup lives with its family for approximately one year. Otters live up to 16 years; they are by nature playful, and frolic in the water with their pups. Its usual source of food is fish, and further downriver, eels, but it may sample frogs and birds.

== Description ==
Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs. Their most striking anatomical features are the powerful [[webbed foot|webbed feet]] used to swim, and their seal-like abilities for holding breath underwater. Most have sharp claws on their feet and all except the sea otter have long, muscular tails. The 13 species range in adult size from {{convert|0.6|to|1.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|1|to|45|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight. The [[Asian small-clawed otter]] is the smallest otter species and the [[giant otter]] and [[sea otter]] are the largest. They have very soft, insulated underfur, which is protected by an outer layer of long [[guard hairs]]. This traps a layer of air which keeps them dry, warm, and somewhat [[buoyant]] under water.

Several otter species live in cold waters and have high [[metabolic rate]]s to help keep them warm. [[Eurasian otter]]s must eat 15% of their body weight each day, and [[sea otter]]s 20 to 25%, depending on the temperature. In water as warm as {{convert|10|°C|°F|abbr=on}}, an otter needs to catch {{convert|100|g|oz|abbr=on}} of fish per hour to survive. Most [[species]] hunt for three to five hours each day and [[breastfeeding|nursing]] mothers up to eight hours each day.

== Feeding ==
For most otters, fish is the staple of their diet. This is often supplemented by frogs, [[crayfish]] and [[crabs]].<ref>{{Cite book| title=Otters: ecology, behavior and conservation| author=Kruuk H| pages=99–116| publisher=Oxford Biology| isbn=978-0-19-856587-1 | year=2007}}</ref> Some otters are experts at opening [[shellfish]], and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion. Sea otters are hunters of [[clams]], [[sea urchins]] and other shelled creatures. They are notable for their ability to use stones to break open shellfish on their bellies. This skill must be learned by the young.<ref name="ONKI">{{cite web|url=http://www.onekind.org/education/animal_sentience/tool_use/tool_use_in_otters/|title=Tool use in otters|publisher=OneKind|access-date=1 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104064517/http://www.onekind.org/education/animal_sentience/tool_use/tool_use_in_otters|archive-date=4 November 2016}}</ref>

Otters are active hunters, chasing prey in the water or searching the beds of rivers, lakes or the seas. Most species live beside water, but river otters usually enter it only to hunt or travel, otherwise spending much of their time on land to prevent their fur becoming waterlogged. Sea otters are considerably more aquatic and live in the ocean for most of their lives.

Otters are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment, such as making waterslides and sliding on them into the water. They may also find and play with small stones. Different species vary in their social structure, some being largely solitary, while others live in groups&nbsp;– in a few species these groups may be fairly large.

== Species ==
<div class="thumb tright" style="border:1px solid #ccc; margin:0.5em;">
{|border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|{{clade| style=font-size:90%;line-height:75%
| label1=Lutrinae
| 1={{clade
| 1=[[Giant otter]] (''Pteronura brasiliensis'')
|    2={{clade
|       1={{clade
|          1=[[North American river otter]] (''Lontra canadensis'')
|          2={{clade
|             1={{clade
|                1=[[Marine otter]] (''Lontra felina'')
|                2=[[Southern river otter]] (''Lontra provocax'')
                }}
|             2=[[Neotropical otter]] (''Lontra longicaudis'')
          }} }}
|       2={{clade
|          1=[[Sea otter]] (''Enhydra lutris'')
|          2=[[Spotted-necked otter]] (''Hydrictis maculicollis'')
|          3={{clade
|             1={{clade
|                1=[[Eurasian otter]] (''Lutra lutra'')
|                2=[[Hairy-nosed otter]] (''Lutra sumatrana'')
|                3=[[Japanese otter]]† (''Lutra nippon'')
|                4=''[[Lutra euxena]]''†
|                5=''[[Lutra castiglionis]]''†
|                6=''[[Lutra simplicidens]]''†
|                7=''[[Lutra trinacriae]]''†
                }}
|             2={{clade
|                1={{clade
|                   1=[[African clawless otter]] (''Aonyx capensis'')
|                   2=[[Asian small-clawed otter]] (''Aonyx cinerea'')
|                   3=[[Congo clawless otter]] (''Aonyx congicus'')
                            }}
|                2={{clade
|                   1=[[Smooth-coated otter]] (''Lutrogale perspicillata'')
}} }} }} }} }} }} }}
|}
<div style="border: none;"><div class="thumbcaption">{{center|<small>Cladogram, after Koepfli ''et al.'' 2008<ref name=Koepfli2008>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Koepfli KP, Deere KA, Slater GJ, etal |title=Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation |journal=BMC Biol. |volume=6 |pages=4–5 |year=2008 |article-number=10 |pmid=18275614 |doi=10.1186/1741-7007-6-10 |pmc=2276185 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and Bininda-Emonds ''et al.'' 1999<ref>{{Cite journal|vauthors=Bininda-Emonds OR, Gittleman JL, Purvis A |title=Building large trees by combining phylogenetic information: a complete phylogeny of the extant Carnivora (Mammalia) |journal=Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc |volume=74 |issue=2 |pages=143–75 |year=1999 |article-number=S0006323199005307 |pmid=10396181 |doi=10.1017/S0006323199005307|doi-broken-date=18 October 2025 |url=http://www.molekularesystematik.uni-oldenburg.de/download/Publications/CarnivoreST.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809052355/http://www.molekularesystematik.uni-oldenburg.de/download/Publications/CarnivoreST.pdf |archive-date=2017-08-09 |url-status=live |citeseerx=10.1.1.328.7194 }}</ref></small>}}</div></div></div>

=== Extant species ===
{| class="wikitable collapsible"
! Image
! Genus
!Species
|-
|[[File:Fischotter Lutra lutra1.jpg|175px]]
|''[[Lutra]] '' {{small|Brisson, 1762}}
|
* [[Eurasian otter]] (''Lutra lutra'')
* [[Hairy-nosed otter]] (''Lutra sumatrana'')
|-
|[[File:Spotted-necked otter 1.jpg|175px]]
|''[[Hydrictis]]'' {{small|Pocock, 1921}}
|

* [[Spotted-necked otter]] (''Hydrictis maculicollis'')
|-
|[[File:Smooth cotted otter (1).jpg|175px]]
| ''[[Lutrogale]]'' {{small|(Gray, 1865)}}
|

* [[Smooth-coated otter]] (''Lutrogale perspicillata'')
|-
|[[File:Gfp-otter-and-trout.jpg|175px]]
|''[[Lontra]]'' {{small|Gray, 1843}}
|

* [[North American river otter]] (''Lontra canadensis'')
* [[Southern river otter]] (''Lontra provocax'')
* [[Neotropical otter]] (''Lontra longicaudis'')
* Northern neotropical river otter (''Lontra annectens'')<ref>{{cite journal |last1= de Ferren |first1= V. |last2= Vieira Figueiró |first2= H. |display-authors=etal |date= June 2024 |title= Genome-wide data support recognition of an additional species of Neotropical river otter (Mammalia, Mustelidae, Lutrinae) |journal= Journal of Mammalogy |volume= 105 |issue= 3 |pages= 534–542 |doi= 10.1093/jmammal/gyae009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title= ''Lontra annectens'' |url= https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1006847/ |website= Mammal Diversity Database |publisher= American Society of Mammalogy |access-date= 29 July 2025}}</ref>
* [[Marine otter]] (''Lontra felina'')
|-
|[[File:Pteronura brasiliensis zoo Brasilia 01.jpg|175px]]
|''[[Pteronura]]'' {{small|Gray, 1837}}
|

* [[Giant otter]] (''Pteronura brasiliensis'')
|-
|[[File:Water Animal.jpg|175px]]
|''[[Aonyx]]'' {{small|Lesson, 1827}}
|

* [[African clawless otter]] (''Aonyx capensis'')
* [[Asian small-clawed otter]] (''Aonyx cinereus'')
* [[Congo clawless otter]] (''Aonyx congicus'')
|-
|[[File:Marsh lounging (15085860020).jpg|175px]]
|''[[Enhydra]]'' {{small|Fleming, 1828}}
|

* [[Sea otter]] (''Enhydra lutris'')
|}

=== Extinct taxa ===
Subfamily '''Lutrinae'''
* Genus ''[[Lutra]] ''
** †''[[Lutra castiglionis]]'' – [[Corsica]], [[Pleistocene]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pereira |first1=E. |last2=Salotti |first2=M. |title= Cyrnolutra castiglionis, une nouvelle forme de loutre (Mustelidae, Lutrinae), dans un dépôt du Pléistocène moyen " Castiglione 3CG "(Oletta, Haute-Corse)|journal= Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série IIA |date=2000 |volume=331 |issue=1 |pages=45–52 |doi=10.1016/S1251-8050(00)00212-3|bibcode=2000CRASE.331...45P }}</ref>
** †''[[Lutra euxena]]'' – [[Malta]], Pleistocene
** †[[Japanese otter]] (''Lutra nippon'') – Japan, extinct c. 1979
* Genus ''[[Lutrogale]]''
** †''[[Lutrogale cretensis]]''<ref name="Masseti1995" />
* Genus ''[[Enhydra]]''
** †''[[Enhydra macrodonta]]''
** †''[[Enhydra reevei]]''
* Genus †''[[Algarolutra]]'' – Corsica and [[Sardinia]], Pleistocene<ref name=Masseti1995>{{cite journal |last1= Masseti |first1= M. |date= 1995 |title= Quaternary biogeography of the Mustelidae family on the Mediterranean islands |journal= Hystrix |volume= 7 |issue= 1–2 |pages= 17–34|citeseerx= 10.1.1.536.8847 }}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Cyrnaonyx]]'' – Europe, Pleistocene<ref name=Mecozzi2021>{{cite journal |last1= Mecozzi |first1= B. |last2= Iannucci |first2= A. |display-authors=etal |date= 2021 |title= Rediscovering ''Lutra lutra'' from Grotta Romanelli (southern Italy) in the framework of the puzzling evolutionary history of Eurasian otter |journal= PalZ |volume= 96 |pages= 161–174 |doi= 10.1007/s12542-021-00553-y|s2cid= 232224971 |doi-access= free |hdl= 2434/891052 |hdl-access= free }}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Enhydriodon]]'' – Asia and Africa, Late [[Miocene]] to [[Early Pleistocene]]<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Grohé|first1=Camille|last2=Uno|first2=Kevin|last3=Boisserie|first3=Jean-Renaud|year=2022|title=Lutrinae Bonaparte, 1838 (Carnivora, Mustelidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Lower Omo Valley, southwestern Ethiopia: systematics and new insights into the paleoecology and paleobiogeography of the Turkana otters|language=French|journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol|volume=30|issue=30 |pages=684–693|doi=10.5852/cr-palevol2022v21a30|s2cid=252106648 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Enhydritherium]]'' – North America, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene<ref name=Berta1985>{{cite journal|author=A. Berta and G. S. Morgan|year= 1985|title= A new sea otter (Carnivora: Mustelidae) from the late Miocene and early Pliocene (Hemphillian) of North America|journal= Journal of Paleontology |volume=59|issue=4|pages=809–819|jstor=1304931}}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Lutraeximia]]'' – Italy, Pleistocene<ref name=Cherin2016>{{cite journal |last1= Cherin |first1= M. |last2= Iurino |first2= D. A. |last3= Willemsen |first3= G. |last4= Carnevale |first4= G. |date= 2016 |title= A new otter from the Early Pleistocene of Pantalla (Italy), with remarks on the evolutionary history of Mediterranean Quaternary Lutrinae (Carnivora, Mustelidae) |journal= Quaternary Science Reviews |volume= 135 |pages= 92–102 |doi= 10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.01.008 |bibcode= 2016QSRv..135...92C }}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Limnonyx]]'' – Germany, Late Miocene<ref name=Morlo2020>{{cite journal |last1= Morlo |first1= M. |last2= Nagel |first2= D. |last3= Bastl |first3= K. |date= 2020 |title= Evolution of the carnivoran (Carnivora, Mammalia) guild structure across the Middle/Upper Miocene boundary in Germany  |journal= Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |volume= 553 |article-number= 109801 |doi= 10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109801|bibcode= 2020PPP...55309801M |s2cid= 219451746 }}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Megalenhydris]]'' – Sardinia, Pleistocene<ref name="Willemsen2006">{{cite journal |author=Gerard F. Willemsen |year=2006 |title=''Megalenhydris'' and its relationship to ''Lutra'' reconsidered |journal=Hellenic Journal of Geosciences |volume=41 |pages=83–87 |url=http://www.hellenjgeosci.geol.uoa.gr/41/willemsen.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306165239/http://www.hellenjgeosci.geol.uoa.gr/41/willemsen.pdf |archive-date=2010-03-06 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Paludolutra]]'' – Italy, Late Miocene<ref name="Wang2018" />
* Genus †''[[Sardolutra]]'' – Sardinia, Pleistocene<ref name="Masseti1995" />
* Genus †''[[Siamogale]]'' – eastern Asia, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene<ref name=Wang2018>{{cite journal |title=A new otter of giant size, ''Siamogale melilutra'' sp. nov. (Lutrinae: Mustelidae: Carnivora), from the latest Miocene Shuitangba site in north-eastern Yunnan, south-western China, and a total-evidence phylogeny of lutrines |author=Xiaoming Wang |display-authors=etal |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |volume=16 |pages=39–65 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2016.1267666 |year=2018 |bibcode=2018JSPal..16...39W |s2cid=58892181 |url=http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/11b1d0h9 |access-date=13 March 2022 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204172836/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/11b1d0h9 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Sivaonyx]]'' – Asia and Africa, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene<ref name="Kargopoulos2021" />
* Genus †''[[Teruelictis]]'' – Spain, Late Miocene<ref name="Salesa2014">{{cite journal|author=Salesa |title=A non-aquatic otter from the Late Miocene |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |year=2014 |volume=169 |issue=2 |pages=448–482 |doi=10.1111/zoj.12063 |doi-access=}}</ref>
* Genus †''[[Torolutra]]'' – Africa, Pliocene<ref name="Kargopoulos2021" />
* Genus †''[[Tyrrhenolutra]]'' – Italy, Late Miocene<ref name="Wang2018" />
* Genus †''[[Vishnuonyx]]'' – Europe, Asia and Africa, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene<ref name=Kargopoulos2021>{{cite journal |last1= Kargopoulos |first1= N. |last2= Valenciano |first2= A. |display-authors=etal |date= 2021 |title= New early Late Miocene species of ''Vishnuonyx'' (Carnivora, Lutrinae) from the hominid locality of Hammerschmeide, Bavaria, Germany |journal= Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume= 41 |issue= 3 |article-number= e1948858 |doi= 10.1080/02724634.2021.1948858 |bibcode= 2021JVPal..41E8858K |s2cid= 240538139 }}</ref>

== Relation with humans ==
[[File:Otters Crossing sign at Benbecula.jpg|thumb|left|Sign warning drivers in [[Benbecula]] in the [[Outer Hebrides]] to beware of otters on the road]]

=== Hunting ===
Otters have been hunted for their [[Fur|pelts]] from at least the 1700s, although it may have begun well before then. Early hunting methods included darts, arrows, nets and snares but later, traps were set on land and guns used.

There has been a long history of otter pelts being worn around the world. In China it was standard for the royalty to wear robes made from them. People that were financially high in status also wore them. The tails of otters were often made into items for men to wear. These included hats and belts. Even some types of mittens for children have been made from the fur of otters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://otter-world.com/otter-hunting.html|title=Otter hunting|publisher=Otter-World.com|year=2009|access-date=19 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054937/http://otter-world.com/otter-hunting.html|archive-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

Otters have also been hunted using dogs, especially the [[otterhound]].<ref name="britishpathe">{{cite web|url=http://www.britishpathe.com/video/otter-hunting-aka-otter-hunting-begins|title=Otter Hunting AKA Otter Hunting Begins – British Pathé|website=britishpathe.com|access-date=28 September 2017|archive-date=2 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702134148/http://www.britishpathe.com/video/otter-hunting-aka-otter-hunting-begins|url-status=live}}</ref> From 1958 to 1963, the 11 otter hunts in England and Wales killed 1,065 otters between them. In such hunts, the hunters notched their poles after every kill. The prized trophy that hunters would take from the otters was the [[baculum]], which would be worn as a [[Tie clip|tie-pin]].<ref name="ACIGAWIS">{{cite web|url=http://www.acigawis.org.uk/bloodsports/otterhunting|title=Otterhunting|publisher=Animal Cruelty Investigation Group/Animal Welfare Information Service|access-date=19 September 2013|archive-date=21 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054718/http://www.acigawis.org.uk/bloodsports/otterhunting|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Traffic (conservation programme)|Traffic]] (the wildlife trade monitoring network) reported that otters are at serious risk in Southeast Asia and have disappeared from parts of their former range. This decline in populations is due to hunting to supply the demand for skins.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.traffic.org/home/2009/12/9/otters-feel-the-heat-in-southeast-asia.html|date=9 December 2009|title=Otters feel the heat in Southeast Asia|publisher=[[Traffic (conservation programme)]]|access-date=17 January 2014|archive-date=30 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030101158/http://www.traffic.org/home/2009/12/9/otters-feel-the-heat-in-southeast-asia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Fishing for humans ===
{{Main|Otter fishing}}

For many generations, fishermen in southern Bangladesh have bred [[smooth-coated otter]]s and used them to chase fish into their nets. Once a widespread practice, passed down from father to son throughout many communities in Asia, this traditional use of domesticated wild animals is still in practice in the district of [[Narail]], Bangladesh.<ref>{{cite journal|author=de Trey-White, Simon |year=2007|title=Fisherman's friend|journal=Geographical|volume=79|issue=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Feeroz, M.M. |author2=Begum, S. |author3=Hasan, M. K. |url=http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume28A/Feeroz_et_al_2011.html|year=2011|title=Fishing with Otters: a Traditional Conservation Practice in Bangladesh|journal=Proceedings of XIth International Otter Colloquium, IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull.|volume=28A|pages=14–21|access-date=20 June 2012|archive-date=30 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630034000/http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume28A/Feeroz_et_al_2011.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Attacks on humans ===
A 2011 review by the IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group showed that otter attacks reported between 1875 and 2010 occurred most often in [[Florida]], where human and otter populations have substantially increased since 2000, with the majority involving the [[North American river otter]]. At least 42 instances of attack were found, including one resulting in death and another case of serious injury. Attacking otters had [[rabies]] in 36% of anecdotal reports.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Belanger |first=M |date=2011 |title=A review of violent or fatal otter attacks |url=https://www.iucnosgbull.org/Volume28/Belanger_et_all_2011.html |journal=IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=11–16 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> 80% of otter bite victims do not seek medical treatment.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goldstein |first=Ellie J. C. |date=1992-03-01 |title=Bite Wounds and Infection |journal=Clinical Infectious Diseases |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=633–640 |doi=10.1093/clinids/14.3.633 |pmid=1562653 |issn=1058-4838 }}</ref>

Animal welfare groups say that, unless threatened, otters rarely attack humans.<ref name=":1" /> In November 2021, about 20 river otters ambushed a British man in his 60s during an early morning walk in [[Singapore Botanic Gardens]]. Despite weighing over 200 pounds, he was trampled and bitten and could not stand up without help from a nearby rescuer. The man speculated that another runner might have stepped on one of the animals earlier, and wished that there could be more lighting installed at that location.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Lin |first=Chen |date=2021-12-11 |title=British man recounts attack by otters in Singapore gardens |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/british-man-recounts-attack-by-otters-singapore-gardens-2021-12-11/ |access-date=2022-06-08 |archive-date=8 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220608221334/https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/british-man-recounts-attack-by-otters-singapore-gardens-2021-12-11/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Religion and mythology ===
[[Norse mythology]] tells of the [[Norse dwarves|dwarf]] [[Ótr]] habitually taking the form of an otter. The myth of "Otter's Ransom"<ref>{{cite web | title = The Otter's Ransom| access-date =5 July 2007| url = http://faculty.mcla.edu/cthomas/otter.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060909025214/http://faculty.mcla.edu/cthomas/otter.html| archive-date = 9 September 2006|work=faculty.mcla.edu}}</ref> is the starting point of the [[Volsunga saga]].

In [[Irish mythology]], the character [[Lí Ban (mermaid)|Lí Ban]] was turned from a woman into a mermaid, half human and half salmon, and given three hundred years of life to roam the oceans. Her lapdog assumed the form of an otter and shared her prolonged lifetime and her extensive wanderings.

In some Native American cultures, otters are considered [[totem animals]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.native-languages.org/legends-otter.htm|title=Native American Indian Otter Legends, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of Many Tribes|website=native-languages.org|access-date=6 May 2015|archive-date=18 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518075130/http://www.native-languages.org/legends-otter.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The otter is held to be a clean animal belonging to [[Ahura Mazda]] in [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] belief, and taboo to kill.<ref name="Cooper92">{{Cite book|last=Cooper |first=JC |title=Symbolic and Mythological Animals |pages=171–72|year=1992 |publisher= Aquarian Press |location=London |isbn=978-1-85538-118-6}}</ref>

In popular Korean mythology, it is told that people who see an otter (''soodal'') will attract 'rain clouds' for the rest of their lives.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-12 |title=Otter Symbolism (6 Meanings) - As Spirit Animals & in Dreams |url=https://symbolismandmetaphor.com/otter-symbolism-spirit-animal/ |access-date=2023-09-25 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the Buddhist Jataka tales, The Otters and The Wolf, two otters agreed to let a wolf settle their dispute in dividing their caught fish but it was taken away by the cunning wolf.<ref>Jataka Tales: The Otters and The Wolf https://mocomi.com/jataka-tales-the-otters-and-the-wolf/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930094800/https://mocomi.com/jataka-tales-the-otters-and-the-wolf/ |date=30 September 2020 }}</ref>

==== Japanese folklore ====
[[File:SekienKawauso.jpg|thumb|''Kawauso'' ({{nihongo2|獺}}) from the [[Gazu Hyakki Yagyō]] by [[Sekien Toriyama]]]]

In Japanese, otters are called "kawauso" ({{nihongo2|獺、川獺}}). In Japanese folklore, they fool humans in the same way as foxes ([[kitsune]]) and [[bake-danuki|tanuki]].

In the [[Noto, Ishikawa (Fugeshi)|Noto region]], [[Ishikawa Prefecture]], there are stories where they shapeshift into beautiful women or children wearing checker-patterned clothing. If a human attempts to speak to one, they will answer "oraya" and then answer "araya," and if anybody asks them anything, they say cryptic things like "kawai."<ref>{{Cite book|author=柳田國男|title=妖怪談義|orig-date=1956|year=1977|publisher=講談社|series=講談社学術文庫|isbn=978-4-06-158135-7|page=19}}</ref><ref name="村上">{{Cite book | author=村上健司編著|title=妖怪事典 | year=2000|publisher=毎日新聞社| isbn=978-4-620-31428-0|page=114 }}</ref> There are darker stories, such as one from [[Kaga Province]] (now [[Ishikawa Prefecture]]) in which an otter that lives in the castle's moat shapeshifts into a woman, invites males, and then kills and eats them.<ref>{{Cite book|author=水木しげる|title=妖怪大図鑑|year=1994|publisher=講談社|series=講談社まんが百科|isbn=978-4-06-259008-2|page=59}}</ref><!-- This is an English page; please translate these reference into English -->

In the [[kaidan (parapsychology)|kaidan]], essays, and legends of the [[Edo period]] like the "Urami Kanawa" ({{nihongo2|裏見寒話}}),<ref name="柴田">{{Cite book|author=柴田宵曲|editor=木村新他編|title=柴田宵曲文集|orig-date=1963|year=1991|publisher=小沢書店|volume=6|page=477|chapter=続妖異博物館}}</ref> "Taihei Hyaku Monogatari" ({{nihongo2|太平百物語}}), and the "Shifu Goroku" ({{nihongo2|四不語録}}), there are tales about strange occurrences like otters that shapeshift into beautiful women and kill men.<ref name="村上" />

In the town of Numatachi, Asa District, [[Hiroshima Prefecture]] (now [[Hiroshima]]), they are called "tomo no kawauso" ({{nihongo2|伴のカワウソ}}) and "ato no kawauso" ({{nihongo2|阿戸のカワウソ}}). It is said that they shapeshift into [[Bhikkhu|bōzu]] (a kind of monk) and appear before passers-by, and if the passer-by tries to get close and look up, its height steadily increases until it becomes a large bōzu.<ref>{{Cite book|author=藤井昭編著 | title=安芸の伝説 | year=1976| publisher=第一法規出版 |page=166}}</ref>

In the Tsugaru region, [[Aomori Prefecture]], they are said to possess humans. It is said that those possessed by otters lose their stamina as if their soul has been extracted.<ref name="内田">{{Cite book|author=内田邦彦|title=津軽口碑集|orig-date=1929|year=1979|publisher=歴史図書社|page=126}}</ref> They are also said to shapeshift into severed heads and get caught in fishing nets.<ref name="内田" />

In the [[Kashima District, Ishikawa|Kashima District]] and the [[Hakui District, Ishikawa|Hakui District]] in [[Ishikawa Prefecture]], they are seen as a yōkai under the name ''kabuso'' or ''kawaso''. They perform pranks like extinguishing the fire of the paper lanterns of people who walk on roads at night, shapeshifting into a beautiful woman of 18 or 19 years of age and fooling people, or tricking people and making them try to engage in sumo against a rock or a tree stump.<ref name="村上" /> It is said that they speak human words, and sometimes people are called and stopped while walking on roads.<ref>{{Cite book|author=多田克己|title=幻想世界の住人たち|year=1990|publisher=新紀元社|series=Truth in Fantasy|volume=IV|isbn=978-4-915146-44-2|page=124}}</ref>

In the Ishikawa and Kochi Prefectures, they are said to be a type of kappa, and there are stories told about how they engage in sumo with otters.<ref name="村上" /> In places like the [[Hokuriku region]], [[Kii Province|Kii]], and [[Shikoku]], the otters are seen as a type of kappa.<ref>{{Cite book|author=村上健司|editor=講談社コミッククリエイト編|title=DISCOVER 妖怪 日本妖怪大百科|year=2007|publisher=講談社|series=KODANSHA Official File Magazine|volume=1|isbn=978-4-06-370031-2|page=19|chapter=河童と水辺の妖怪たち}}</ref> In the [[Kagakushū]], a dictionary from the [[Muromachi period]], an otter that grew old becomes a kappa.<ref>{{Cite book|author=香川雅信|editor=吉良浩一編|title=怪 (ムック)|year=2012|publisher=角川書店|series=カドカワムック|volume=37|isbn=978-4-04-130038-1|page=34|chapter=カッパは緑色か?}}</ref>

In an Ainu folktale, in Urashibetsu (in [[Abashiri, Hokkaido|Abashiri]], [[Hokkaido]]), there are stories where monster otters shapeshift into humans, go into homes where there are beautiful girls, and try to kill the girl and make her its wife.<ref>{{Cite book|author=知里真志保|title=アイヌ民譚集|orig-date=1937|year=1981|publisher=岩波書店|series=岩波文庫|isbn=978-4-00-320811-3 |pages=198–200|chapter=えぞおばけ列伝}}</ref>

In China, like in Japan, there are stories where otters shapeshift into beautiful women in old books like ''[[In Search of the Supernatural]]'' and the ''Zhenyizhi'' ({{nihongo2|甄異志}}).<ref name="柴田" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Animals}}
* [[Reniculate kidney]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikispecies|lutrinae}}
{{Commons category|Lutrinae}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Otter}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* [http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/ IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080509084301/http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/mammals/Lutra_lutra/ ARKive]—Photographs and videos of Eurasian otters. On the same site are photos and videos of the marine otter (''Lontra felina''), sea otter (''Enhydra lutris''), smooth-coated otter (''Lutrogale perspicillata'') and giant otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'').
* [http://www.otter.org/ International Otter Survival Fund]

{{Carnivora|M.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q200184}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Otters| ]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Carnivorans of Europe]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Tool-using mammals]]