How are the Eurasian River Otters Endangered? 
The Eurasian River Otter is a mammal that live in water. 
They can be found in Asia, and are rarely found in Europe and Africa. 
They are endangered in many reasons: 
1. Dam construction can take away their homes. 
2. Water pollution. 
3. Predators of the Otter may kill them. 
4. Much of the decline population is caused by Bio Accumulating Pesticides. 
They can be sighted near dams. They also make nests near dams because the water is calm. 
In Korea, the construction of Dong River Dam caused many homeless otters to wander around. 
Usually, Otters have 3-4 young Otters, a mother and a father. 
The Otters living in Korea are medium sized. From its head through its body it is 570 to 700 mm long. 
The tail is 350 to 400 mm long. The whole length of the River Otter is 1020 to 1370 mm. 

General Information: 
Feet: The feet of the River Otter are webbed with strong claws. 
Hair: The texture of the hair is moderately coarse. Their guardhairs are 17 to 18mm long. 
Their underfur is 8 to 9 mm long. 
Color: The Eurasian River Otter is fuscus to dusky brown in color, in the Asian ones it is lighter. 
They have lighter bellies. 
Nose: The nose looks like a hexagon with small dips on each side. The nostrils are in the middle. 
Habitat: They live in a variety of freshwater habitats or coastal areas where freshwater pools are available for 
drinking and bathing close to shore . 
Food: The River Otter mostly eat fish, amphibians, and crustaceans. 
Names: 
Common Name: Eurasian River Otter 
Scientific name: Lutra lutra 
Spanish: Nutria, Nutria comun 
French: Loutre de Rivere 
German: Eurasischer FichOtter 
Italian:Lontra comune 
Other scientific names: Lutra vulgaris, Lutra whitleyi 

Other Info: 
Otters, like beavers and muskrats, have long coarse guard hairs that cover and protect the short, thick underfur. 
This underfur traps air and keeps the otter's skin dry. In some species, a layer of fat under the skin insulates the otter 
from the cold. 
An otter's fur varies in color from brownish-gray to dark brown when dry, and appears darker when wet. 
Otters often use their paws to handle objects. They hold and play skillfully with such things as stones and small shellfish. 
Some African and Asian species that have only a little webbing between their toes can use the toes like fingers. 
Such clawless and small-clawed otters handle food in much the same way as raccoons. These otters feed on shellfish that live in shallow water. 
All otters have claws. Even the so-called clawless otter has short claws on the three middle toes of its hind feet. 

How Do Otters Play? 
They wrestle and romp and slide down steep muddy slopes in summer and down icy riverbanks in winter. 
Otters use a variety of sounds to communicate among themselves. All species have a warning growl. 
In addition, otters use various kinds of chirps, chuckles, screams, and squeals to express their feelings to other otters. 


What Do Otters Eat? 
Otters eat crayfish, crabs, and fish. 
Although otters can sometimes catch such swift-swimming fish as trout, they generally capture slower fish. 
They also eat clams, frogs, insects, snails, snakes, and, occasionally, waterfowl. Otters are active the year around. 
Where people hunt them, they move about more at night than during the day. They hunt mostly alone, but sometimes 
they hunt in family groups. 

Did You Know? 
1. Most otters make their homes in burrows in riverbanks or under rocky ledges, or in abandoned dens of other animals. 
2. Most female otters give birth to two or three young at a time. The babies, called cubs or pups, are born blind. 
3. The young do not swim until they are several months old. People hunt otters for their valuable and beautiful fur. 
4. Certain species, especially the giant otter, are in danger of becoming extinct. 
5. Otters belong to the weasel family, Mustelidae. The North American otter is Lutra canadensis. 
6. The giant otter is Pteronura brasiliensis. The clawless and small-clawed otters form genus Aonyx. 
7. The clawless otter is classified A. capensis. The small-clawed otter is classified A. cinerea. 

Last Facts. 
Otters are the only marine mammals to have fur instead of blubber. There are thirteen species of otters alive today. 
There used to be fourteen, but the fourteenth otter, Maxwell's otter, is presumed extinct due to draining of 
their waters to perform genocide in Iraq. Otters are very smart; they are one of only a handful of tool using mammals. 
Otters use rocks to pry abalone off rocks and to break open shells. Some Otters use their stomach as their table 
when they eat. Otters love to float on their backs. 

What Are we Doing to save them? 
In Korea, there are a lot of protests against the construction of Dams. 
Also, there are a lot of internet websites about endangered species in Korea. And Last of all, it depends on us to decide if we want them to survive. If we don't care about them, we will throw garbage in the river, spit saliva, etc. That's practically polluting the river. If the river is polluted, how will the Otters survive. So, it is up to us to decide their fate. Lets care about the river and other natural resources. 

Written by: Yong Kwon