O is for... part two

O is for ... Otters.

I know. How could I do a post about the letter O and not have it be about otters?
For those of you who don't know, I have a huge fascination with otters. I want one. I could spend hours watching them. I love them because they are smart, kind, good swimmers, use tools, and are playful. And then there's this:

While I think all otters are wonderful, I prefer the river otters. They aren't as fluffy and overly cute. They're sharper and maybe a little more mischievous. After all, they are related to weasels, badgers, wolverines and polecats.

An otter's den is called a holt or couch. A male otter is a dog, a female is a bitch, and a baby is a whelp, kit, or pup. The words for a group of otters are bevy, family, lodge or romp or, when in water, raft. A bevy of otters. Yes.

They can live up to 16 years, which is also awesome.

And then of course, there's Emmet Otter.

Otters are literary animals, too, being featured in Brian Jaques' Redwall series, Ring of Bright Water, and remember that Hermione Granger's patronus in the Harry Potter books was an otter.

Yeah, this post was pretty much just a chance for me to look at pictures of otters.