Otter (Lutra lutra)
Otters are inquisitive, playful and intelligent, often appearing to take childlike enjoyment in sliding around on muddy banks or in snow. They are semi-aquatic mammals and live in holts around water edges. They are fast, agile swimmers. Bubbles of air trapped in their fur give them a silvery appearance underwater.
What do they sound like?
Watch video clips from past programmes (1 clip)
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Inside an otter holt
Natural World
The first ever pictures of otter life filmed inside a holt, using infra-red.
About the Otter
The European Otter (Lutra lutra), also known as the Eurasian otter, Eurasian river otter, common otter and Old World otter, is a European and Asian member of the Lutrinae or otter subfamily, and is typical of freshwater otters.
It differs from the North American river otter by its shorter neck, broader visage, the greater space between the ears and its longer tail.
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Common Names
- Common otter
- Eurasian otter
- Eurasian river otter
- European otter
- Old world otter
The Otter is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Otter is Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Common otter - Lutra lutra (arkive.org)
- Lutra lutra (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- The Mammal Society: fact sheet (abdn.ac.uk)
- Encyclopedia of Life: otter fact file (eol.org)
- IUCN Red List information (iucnredlist.org)
- IUCN Otter Specialist Group (otterspecialistgroup.org)
- European Otter (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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