This one’s not too much of a thinker. The Oregon Zoo has posted a video of three of its rescued river otters in the heat of play. (We first found the video over at Laughing Squid.) If you like otters, and you don’t have any particular issue with ice cubes, you’ll enjoy the show.
The otters in question go by the names Tilly, Flora, and Hobson. Though, now that I give it some thought, I don’t know if otters are capable of name recognition. Dogs are, of course; and a couple years back, new studies suggested that cats know, but simply don’t care about, their own names. But otters? Cursory internet searches prove unhelpful. Now this will haunt me until the day I die. Or until the day I successfully grab an otter’s attention by shouting, “Hey, Sal!”
While the answer to this mystery may remain elusive, the ‘net does offer a bounty of otter facts. Otter fur: the thickest fur in the animal kingdom! You can thank this excellent otter-centric Mental Floss article for that gem, and several others of the like.
If you head on over to the Oregon Zoo’s Instagram page, you’ll find a treasure trove of equally adorable videos and pictures. The latest batch of media showcases creatures like beavers, pangolins, elephants, lemurs, eagles, polar bears, red pandas, seals, and penguins. But be warned before visiting: the further down the page you scroll, the harder it is to break away.
While river otters remain in fair standing, conservation-wise, their marine-based brethren aren’t doing so hot. As such, we’ve got to do what we can to help these critters avoid the perils of an increasingly unforgiving world. Organizations like the Sea Otter Foundation Trust and the International Otter Survival Fund provide two options for donation. Check ’em out, if you have the time and can spare the cash.
