Otterly Amazing: Fascinating Facts About Otters

River otters are frequently mistaken for sea otters, but are distinct in their freshwater habitats, visible ears, and belly-down swimming style.

Sea otters, especially mothers and pups, often hold hands or snuggle up in kelp "blankets" to stay together and afloat while sleeping, ensuring they don't drift away from each other. 

Thirteen otter species face various threats, with 12 listed as vulnerable or worse, due to pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing, poaching, oil spills, and diseases like toxoplasmosis.

Otters have distinct names for different ages and groups, including pups or kits (babies), sows (females), boars (males), and collective terms like family, bevy. 

The giant otter, found in South America's Amazon River and Pantanal, is an endangered species, reaching up to 6 feet long and 75 pounds, with fewer than 8,000 remaining due to poaching. 

The hairy-nosed otter, once considered extinct, was rediscovered in 1998 and is now an endangered Lazarus species, threatened by poaching, habitat loss, and destruction. 

Some otter species, like the Asian small-clawed, African clawless, and Congo clawless otters, have blunt or no claws, but possess remarkable dexterity in their front paws.