Wildlife & Flora
Common Otter
Common Otter (Lutra lutra) is a wildlife & flora sighting recorded around Besisahar, Simalchaur, Khudi.
- Scientific name
- Lutra lutra
- Local name
- Kalo Oat
- Category
- Wildlife & Flora
These tiny little otters are a shy, inquisitive, playful and intelligent bunch. That's the reason they take pleasures in childlike enjoyments like sliding around on muddy banks. They are semi-aquatic mammals and live in holes around water edges. An inspiration for Michael Phelps himself, Common Otters are fast and agile swimmers. The bubbles of air trapped in their fur inside water give them a silvery appearance. On land, they are brown with white shades in their neck region. Fish forms the primary food item for these otters although their diet is supplemented with rodents, snakes, amphibians, small mammals, and even young fledgling birds. The typical lifespan of these otters in the wild is between 4 and 10 years. A sad fact about these animals is that for centuries, otters have been mercilessly killed for their skin which is dense and very durable, so much so the poachers and smugglers consider it the diamond in the fur business. In Tibet, otter skins are used to adorn traditional costumes called "Chuba". It will definitely be wonderful to see a world in which these cute little otters are left alone to enjoy their childish engagements.
