OTTER
OTTER Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae . The 13 extant otter species are all semi-aquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes Weasels, Badgers, Honey Badgers, Martens, Minks, Polecats and Wolverines. The word Otter derived from the Old English word otor or oter . This and many cognate words in other Indo-European languages ultimately stem from the Proto-Indo-European language. The root word is wódr̥ which gave rise to the English word water . Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs. Their most striking anatomical features are the powerful webbed feet that are used to swim and their seal-like abilities of holding their 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 0.6 m to 1.8 m (2.0 ft to 5.9 ft) in length and 1 kg to 45 kg ...