OTTER (AS. otor, otter, oter, 0110. otter, Ger. Otter, otter; connected with ()Church Slay. Tydra, Litt]. vdra, otter, Gk. ;?Jpoc, hydros, Upa, hydra, water-snake, Skt. vdra, otter, also with (7k. fidlop, km/(77-, Skt. whin, water, and ultimately with Eng. ioatcr). The otters are a small but subfamily (Lutrina.) of fur bearing earnivores (Mu-stelice). with aquatic habits. The North American otter (Lutra Ca vadensis) is found in most parts of the continent north of Mexico, though no longer numerous in well-settled districts. It is about four feet in length, of which the tail is one-third. The color is rich brown. The body is long, and rather stout, the legs short with rounded webbed feet, the tail broad and horizontally flattened, and the skull wide and depressed. The eyes are small and supplied with a nictitating membrane. The teeth are strong and very sharp. The whole structure is thus adapted to an aquatic life and the capture of fish. The otter makes its home in some hole iu the bank, or under the roots of a tree, furnished with a bed of leaves and grass, where the female brings forth from one to three young ones, in the early spring. Although ill shaped for walking on land. otters wander about a great deal at night, crossing from one stream to another, and doing nu hunting in the woods and thickets; and young and old are fond of romping games in grassy places in summer, as well as in the snowbanks of winter. The otter is one of the most playful of animals, and many writers have described its favorite pastime of sliding on the inclines of snow or in summer on sonic steep clayey slope entering a body of water. In either case the otter lies on its belly with its fore feet bent backward, and gives the body a shove by means of its hind feet. In a short
time the sliding place becomes very slippery and the otters show great delight in sliding clown and then climbing hack to repeat the performance. In captivity otters are rather surly and snappish, and when brought to hay in Hadr native haunts they will fight savagely, and it requires a special breed of dogs (see Houxo) to hunt them suc cessfully. In India and the Far East the otter is frequently kept in a half-domestieated state and used as a fish-catcher. A collar is placed around the neck and to this a long line is at tached. The otter is then sent into the water, and as otters always bring their prey to shore to devour it, as soon as lie has captured a fish lie returns to his master with it.
The European otter (Littia vuldjaris) is widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia. It is much smaller than the American species and somewhat lighter in color. It is frequently seen along the seashore and fishes in the sea. Other species of Lutra occur in Southeastern Asia, in Africa, and in South America.
The fur of the otter is highly prized and is an important article of commerce. The flesh has a very fishy taste, and has been accounted by many Roman Catholics as fish and not meat, so that it might be used in Lent and on fast days. A discussion of this medieval view is one of the entertaining disquisitions in Walton's Cumplcat Angler.
Consult British and East Indian books of zo ology and sport; Thomas, Proceedings of the ZoOlogical Societ y (London. 1S89) : Stone and Cram, American Animals (New York, 1902). See Plate of AIINOR CARNIVORES. Compare COY PU.