Carol DM
Lately I have been in animal mode it seems. I read a lot about different animals. I will share with you what I found today.
I hope you all don’t get bored. And if I had my pwn photos, I would use them. But the only place I have seen otters are at zoos. Hopefully you will learn something today about these adorable Otters.
1. THERE ARE 13 SPECIES OF OTTERS, AND JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEM ARE DECREASING.
How sad to think of otters going away. Only one otter species seems to be thriving, and that’s the North American River Otter. The other 12 otter species were recently identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as having decreasing populations, and five otter species are already on the endangered list. Among the endangered are the sea otters along the Californian to Alaskan coasts, which are threatened by “environmental pollutants and disease agents.” Others, like the marine otters of South America, have had their numbers reduced because of poaching, as well as environmental concerns.
2. ZOROASTRIANS THOUGHT THE OTTERS TO BE NEARLY SACRED CREATURES.
This ancient religion considered otters to be the dogs of the river or sea and had strict rules forbidding the killing of otters. It was thought that otters helped keep water purified by eating already dead creatures that might contaminate the water source if they were allowed to rot. Zoroastrians (one of the world’s oldest continuously practiced religions) would also hold ceremonies for otters found dead in the wild.
3. OTTERS HAVE VERY DISTINCTIVE POOP, AND THAT SCAT HAS ITS OWN NAME.
Otters use their dung—known as spraint—to communicate with other otters. The mammals like to keep things organized within their communities and will designate certain areas to be used as latrines. Spraint scents can vary, but often are (relatively) pleasant—one expert described them as not “dissimilar to jasmine tea.” Spraint composition is unique to each otter, and the creatures can identify each other by the smells.
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Question of
Only one otter species seems to be thriving, and that’s the North American River Otter. The other 12 otter species were recently identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as having decreasing populations, and five otter species are already on the endangered list. Among the endangered are the sea otters along the Californian to Alaskan coasts, which are threatened by “environmental pollutants and disease agents.” Others, like the marine otters of South America, have had their numbers reduced because of poaching, as well as environmental concerns. Very sad, right?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Only one otter species seems to be thriving, and that’s the North American River Otter. The other 12 otter species were recently identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as having decreasing populations, and five otter species are already on the endangered list. Among the endangered are the sea otters along the Californian to Alaskan coasts, which are threatened by “environmental pollutants and disease agents.” Others, like the marine otters of South America, have had their numbers reduced because of poaching, as well as environmental concerns. Very sad, right?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
2. ZOROASTRIANS THOUGHT THE OTTERS TO BE NEARLY SACRED CREATURES. Interesting fact, agree?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
ZOROASTRIANS THOUGHT THE OTTERS TO BE NEARLY SACRED CREATURES. Interesting fact, agree?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
OTTERS HAVE VERY DISTINCTIVE POOP, AND THAT SCAT HAS ITS OWN NAME. Cool right!
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Yes
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No
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Question of
OTTERS HAVE VERY DISTINCTIVE POOP, AND THAT SCAT HAS ITS OWN NAME. Cool right!
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Yes
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No
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i otter to have known these facts but I didn’t know all of them. So I guess i otter learn today!
Funny Doc, thanks for the humor. What a mess this poll is. Sometimes they work other times they have a mind of their own.
i figured out a trick to get them to work most of the time. Make sure you post questions until the question reappears it seems to make them ok if you do that.
Thanks, it usually works ok but not this time.
the platform is flakey – the admin team said they were working on fixes
Would be nice to know what they are working on.
Otters are just the cutest things ever. I love watching them in zoos.
I do as well. Their little whiskers as cute, and I love seeing them float around on their backs, so cute.
I watched a show called Alaskan Wildlife Rescue last night and they rescued a week old otter. Nursed him back to health, taught him how to swim and sent him to a zoo nearby.
Such adorable animals, I didn’t now much about them. Cute and informative post!
I love these otters, always have. Their whisker are so cute. Thanks for your support on this messy poll.
They seem to be good actors too 😀 https://youtu.be/IJ3bY6Szbik
Thanks for the adorable video!
Very interesting information and also very sad. If it goes on like this, we will soon be left without animals.
Yes it is sad for these animals. We have to keep helping and doing our part.
Sorry about the #1 answer. It did not come across correctly. Too detailed. I tried refreshing before submitting but no success. 🙁