Otters and 4 year-olds would be great friends

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Today, I thought about how much fun you would all have being here and having a chance to watch the otters in Moss Landing! A day in Elkhorn Slough with the otters is much like a day with my students at WPPK. Why?

Well, here are a few reasons:

  • Otters work about one third of their day and play together for two thirds of their day!
  • Otters like to be social and play with their friends
  • Otters like to feel safe and secure
  • Otters like to explore
  • Otters are very, very curious, just like that wonderful monkey, named George!
  • Otters are very smart!
  • Otters are not afraid to try new things
  • Otters work together to solve problems
Fun Otter Fact #4
Sea otters are about 4 feet long (or 48 inches long). How long are you? Ask your parents to measure you! Otters weigh about 55 pounds. How much do you weigh?




There are 3 comments related to this article. Please share your thoughts below.

Great website. Feel free to post any of my photos. You will have to tell everyone about the otter eating the sea star. To answer Stars' question further...the otters do not respond well to people in the water. They are somewhat acclimated to kayaks and boats but swimmers and stand up paddlers cause the whole raft to panic and swim away.

Comments by robert scoles on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 11:20:11 PM

Hi Star, Yes, river otters are much smaller than sea otters, usually about half the size. Some river otters are either threatened or endangered, just like the otters we are studying. Here, in Monterey, we are studying only the California (or "southern") otter. It wouldn't be a good idea to swim with them, because despite being adorable to look at, they can be very vicious when humans approach them too closely. Their strong and powerful paws can really hurt people.

Comments by Miss Clark on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 3:53:01 PM

Wow, I thought otters were much smaller than that. Are there different types of otters? The ones I found in France that live in all of the narrow waterways of the Marrais Poitevin looked like they were about two feet long. Maybe they were babies. I would love to swim with them. Would they like that?

Comments by Star Eonnet on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 5:13:52 AM



 

 



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