Random Terrifying Reasons Why Otters Are Not As Cute And Cuddly As They Appear (8 items)

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  (#8) Sea Otters Are One Of The Only Non-Primate Mammals To Use Tools To Get Food

  One of the only non-primate mammals to do so, sea otters have been observed using rocks as tools to crack open the shells of sea creatures. In 2019, a study was published in the journal Scientific Reports noting different tool behaviors among both male and female as well as different methods which create their own archeological record.

  There are three main methods of foraging with tools. The first is done underwater by using a stone to pry open abalone shells. The second is by placing a rock on its chest while floating on top of the water and striking the shellfish on the "chest anvil". Lastly, there is the "emergent anvil," where otters will strike a shellfish on rocks on shore or emerging from the water. Each of these methods leave their own traces in broken shells and rocks, allowing researchers to study their movements and former habitats.

   
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  (#6) Without Otters Many Of Earth's Ecosystems Could Be Put At Risk

  Otters tend to be very important to their respective ecosystems; in fact, the sea otter is considered a keystone species that, disproportionally to the size of their population, is incredibly crucial to the health of its entire ecosystem.

  Kelp plays an incredible role both as a source of food and habitat for many ocean dwelling animals, as well as an important factor in preventing climate change. In the 1970s, however, scientists were seeing a massive decrease in the number and size of kelp forests where otters had once populated and a dramatic increase of sea urchins. One of the sea otter's main food sources are sea urchins, and with otters eating almost a quarter of their own body weight everyday, they managed to keep the sea urchin population at bay. Without them it's very likely many offshore ecosystems would perish.
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  (#7) They Have 32 Sharp Teeth And Jaws That Can Crush Bone

  All otters are carnivorous, and since those that live in the river feed mostly on fish with the occasional frog, bird, or lizard, they need teeth that can bite and tear at their prey. In addition to super sharp canine teeth, their molars are also pointed to help crush the bones of their meal. Their powerful jaws are used to crack shells while the canines are also helpful in grabbing prey.

  Cute and cuddly sea otters eat more shelled creatures than fish and have less sharp teeth, however their teeth are still twice as tough as those of a human in order to break through shells and suck out the meat.
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  (#2) Otters Will Resort To Extreme Behaviors Just To Get Some Food

  Otters have large appetites to account for the extreme conditions they face. They are the smallest marine mammals in the world, but they eat about a quarter of their own body mass everyday and much of the energy is used just keeping their little otter bodies warm. Life becomes increasingly difficult for female otters when taking care of young pups. According to the Journal of Experimental Biology, by the time female otters are weaning their pups, their daily energy demand increases by 96 percent from pre-pregnancy levels.

  But sometimes food is scarce and otters will do whatever it takes to get it, even if that includes threatening their own family. Male otters have been observed exhibiting "hostage behavior" by taking babies away from females and essentially holding them underwater until the female brings him food. Females have also been spotted taking food from other otters; however, they tend to be much more selective about the food they steal than their male counterparts.

   
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  (#3) Otters Have Attacked Humans And Other Animals Alike

  Although specialists say otter attacks on humans are rare, there are a number of documented occurrences. A study found there have been 39 anecdotal cases of attacks on humans reported in newspapers since 1875, and four documented in scientific. Like most animals, if an otter or its babies feel threatened, they may become aggressive and most incidents happen while a person was swimming or walking near water.

  The Bronx Zoo in New York has a mixed animal exhibit in which an area of land inhabited by Javan lutung monkeys sits directly next to a pond filled with otters. A video emerged on the internet of a monkey who fell into the water and was immediately attacked by the otters.  Zoo keepers arrived too late to save the monkey. A similar event happened at the Bristol Zoo in England when a golden-headed lion tamarin escaped from its enclosure, fell into the otter exhibit, became stuck in a drainage valve then was eaten by the otters.
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  (#4) Giant Otters Are The Second Largest And Most Capable Predator In The Amazon

  Giant otters average a weight of about 75 pounds but some have been discovered to be more than six feet long. They eat up to nine pounds of food per day and their sharp teeth and powerful tail allow them to swim fast while hunting and can even take on caiman or other large Amazon creatures if necessary. Giant river otters hunt in packs of nine and hunt together, garnering them the nickname "lobos de río" or "river wolves."

  But as big as giant otters can get, they're still smaller than their ancestors who may have been around the size of a wolf and weighed more than 100 pounds according to a skull archeologists found in China.

  Among many communities in Brazil, however, giant river otters are a source of fear. It is popular belief that giant river otters attack and capsize canoes, but this has never actually happened and their terrible reputation dates back only to 1978 due to a highly publicized but mostly unrelated incident. While an off-duty policeman at the Brasília zoo tried to save a child who had fallen into an otter enclosure, he was attacked by a pack of giant river otters and subsequently died in hospital due to infections. 

   

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