[ad_1]
The predatory otter is very smart, sociable, which is just interesting to watch. She is an aquatic member of the mustelidae (or weasel) family. Their flexible bodies and webbed toes and feet allow them to glide smoothly through the water and catch prey. There are about 13 species of otters in the world. Most are freshwater species, including the North American river otter, the Eurasian otter, the giant Amazon otter, the Asiatic low-clawed otter, and several African species. But sea otters from the North American Pacific coast and sea otters from the Pacific coast of South America spend most of their lives swimming and hunting in the ocean. But what are these otters eating?
As a result, the otter’s diet can vary significantly depending on habitat and location. This article will tell you what they eat and how to get food. It is interesting to read about the food habits of the otter, as one of the smartest animals on the planet. However, for the purposes of this article, river otters and sea otters will be treated differently.
What does an otter eat?
River otters are considered to be a wide range of predators. This means that they will eat almost anything they can catch. Some of their favorite foods include fish, crabs, crayfish, frogs, turtles, snakes, birds, and their eggs. However, their diet usually varies slightly depending on where they live. The giant otters from the Amazon, which coordinate their hunt in large groups, are highly dependent on cichlids, catfish and piranhas; they even hunt the mighty caiman.
In contrast, the North American river otter is heavily dependent on crayfish, trout, salmon, and salmon. However, they prefer to eat larger fish due to the ease with which they can catch slow moving prey. As carnivorous mammals, they consume little, if any, plant matter in their diet, with the exception of rare aquatic plants or roots. They spend a lot of time looking for food and burn most of that energy, leaving little to waste.
Sea / sea otters are just as voracious. Although they spend about half a day relaxing, they need to keep warm and swim often. It is estimated that they consume about 25% of their weight daily in order to maintain their high metabolism. This means that a 50 pound otter will need 10 to 15 pounds of food. Since sea and sea otters are found throughout the Pacific coast of America, it is difficult to give precise information about their diet, but some of their favorite foods are sea urchins, starfish, crabs, squid, shellfish, mussels and snails.
Fish makes up a smaller part of the diet compared to the river otter. By all accounts, sea otters play a vital role in marine ecosystems by controlling prey populations. Too many sea urchins can kill kelp forests, thereby reducing the ecological diversity of the coastal ecosystem. Ever since sea otter hunting nearly disappeared, most of the seaweed forest in Oregon has been destroyed by hedgehogs. Fortunately, there are plans to bring the sea otter back to restore the kelp ecosystem.
How does an otter hunt and eat its food?
Carnivorous otters have several important adaptations that allow them to hunt in the aquatic environment. Long whiskers are so sensitive that they can find prey on the sandy bottom of a river or ocean, even when their other senses may be useless or impaired. Their ergonomic body and webbed feet or toes allow them to maneuver exceptionally well in the water, so they can rush to prey over short distances. And their sharp fangs help them quickly kill prey and chew meat.
River otters mainly hunt in freshwater rivers, lakes and marshes, but sometimes they also come ashore for a snack. Unless they are part of a larger group, the female must provide for her puppy alone in the spring and summer, while the male usually hunts for himself. Fortunately, because of their thick fur (one of the thickest of all animals on the planet), they don’t need to stock up on food or hibernate for the winter. They can hunt under the frozen ice while remaining warm and comfortable.
Sea otters, on the other hand, spend most of their hunt in the water and rarely hunt on land. They dive to the bottom of shallow coastal shelves and hunt for tiny nuggets among algae and mud. They can stay underwater for about five minutes and reach depths of about 200 feet. Their fully webbed hindfins (not found in river otters) endow them with incredible swimming skills.
Sea otters are also unusually quick-witted. These versatile and intelligent creatures are one of the few known animals that use tools to obtain food. To break the hard shells of a small marine invertebrate, the sea otter puts food on its belly and smashes it with a small stone. It also has the ability to hit the creature against a larger piece of rock. If he has leftovers from uneaten food, the sea otter will store them in loose covers, known as pockets, that are located just under each forearm. The pockets also provide convenient storage for your tools.
A complete list of the 10 best foods an otter eats
The diets of sea otters and river sea otters are so different from each other that they need to be divided into separate lists. Here are the top 10 foods your average river otter eats:
- A fish
- Cancer
- Crabs
- Molluscs
- Frogs
- Turtles
- Snakes
- Birds
- Eggs
- Snails
And here is a list of the 10 most popular foods that sea otter consumes:
- Sea urchins
- Sea stars
- Crabs
- Squid
- Molluscs
- Molluscs
- Snails
- worms
- A fish
- Octopus
Next: what do owls eat?
[ad_2]
Source link