Thursday, June 21, 2012

Animal Picturea and Description - All about OTTER around the world

An otter is any of 13 living species of semiaquatic (or in one case aquatic) mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals.

The otter subfamily Lutrinae forms part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, and wolverines.

The time of gestation in otters is about 60 to 86 days. The newborn pup is taken care of by the mother, the father, and all the other offspring. Female otters reach sexual maturity at approximately two years of age, while males can produce offspring at approximately three years of age. After one month, the young otter can come out of the cave, and after two months, it is able to swim. It lives with its family for about one year, so it can learn and be kept safe until maturity. Otters live up to 16 years.