The outer digits of the hind feet are the longest. ![]() ![]() The sea otters' flipper like hind feet are large, broad, and webbed. They use their forefeet for grooming, finding food, and eating, but not for swimming. Sea otters have small dexterous forefeet with retractile claws. Giant otters have large, fleshy feet with thick webbing that extends to the tips of the digits. Cape clawless otters have similar claws on the three middle toes of their hind feet claws are absent on the other toes. Congo and Asian otters have small, blunt, peg-like claws. River otters have webbed digits and strong, nonretractile claws on all four feet.Ĭlawless otters have partial webbing on their feet. Paws have bare sole pads on the undersides, with the exception of the sea otter, which has no sole pads on its hind feet. They enable otters to swim, walk, groom, and manipulate prey. LimbsĪll otters have four relatively short legs. Giant and spot-necked otters have creamy white splotches on their throats and chests, sometimes blending to form a "bib". The hairy-nosed otter is very dark brown with a creamy white throat. In some species, the color boundaries are sharp and distinct in others, they are less clearly defined. In general, otters exhibit various shades of brown (light cinnamon to dark brown), with a darker dorsal (back) surface and much lighter ventral (underside) surface. This flexibility allows them to groom almost every inch of their fur. In comparison to other otter species, sea otters are somewhat stockier with larger ribcages.Īll otters have very flexible bodies. Clawless and giant otters have similarly shaped bodies. River otters typically have slender, streamlined, serpentine bodies. ![]() Male California sea otters average 122 cm (4 ft.) and 29 kg (64 lbs.).įemale California sea otters average 20 kg (44 lbs.). Large males have been known to reach a weight of 45 kg (100 lbs.).įemale Alaska sea otters measure up to 140 cm (55 in.) and average 16 to 27 kg (35-60 lbs.). Male Alaska sea otters measure up to 148 cm (58 in.) and average about 27 to 39 kg (60-85 lbs.). The other two clawless otters are similar in size to river otters.Īlaska sea otters are slightly larger than California sea otters. The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest of all otters, measuring 65 to 94 cm (26-37 in.) and weighing just 1 to 5 kg (2.2-11 lbs.). Male giant otters average 26 to 34 kg (57-75 lbs.), while females average 22 to 26 kg (49-57 lbs.). The giant otter averages 145 to 180 cm (57-71 in.), with a maximum recorded length of 240 cm (94 in.). The smallest river otter is the marine otter, averaging 87 to 115 cm (34-45 in.). The largest river otter is the North American river otter, ranging from 100 to 153 cm (39-60 in.). River otters range in size from about 87 to 153 cm (34-60 in.) and 3 to 14 kg (7-31 lbs.).
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