A small creature with a professor's mustache swims on its back, holding a stone on its belly. It cracks open a shell, squints with delight. Otter. Some call it the river wolf, others the water cat. It is shy, smart, playful, and very important for the ecosystem. It has its own holiday — World Otter Day. It is celebrated on the last Wednesday of May. In 2026, it will be on May 27th. Let's find out why otters need attention and protection, what makes them unique, and how we can help them. What kinds of otters are there The otter is a predatory mammal of the Mustelidae family. There are 13 species in the world. The most famous is the river otter (Lutra lutra), which lives in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It has a long, flexible body (up to 1 meter), short legs with webbing, a powerful tail (like a rudder), a dense fur that does not let water in. The color is brown, the belly is light. Weight — from 5 to 15 kg. In North America, there is the Canadian otter, larger (up to 140 cm, 20 kg). In South America — the giant otter (up to 2 meters, 30 kg), which is rare and listed in the Red Book. In Asia — the smooth-furred otter, almost without underfur. And separately — the sea otter (kalan), which lives in the Pacific Ocean and does not go ashore. In Russia, the river otter is found almost everywhere except the Far North. It loves clean rivers, lakes, streams with forest banks. Due to water pollution, the otter has disappeared from many places, but it returns where rivers have been cleaned. Habits and character The otter is an excellent swimmer. Can dive to a depth of up to 6 meters, hold their breath for 4 minutes. Underwater, it closes its ears and nostrils. It swims faster than 10 km/h. On land, it seems clumsy, but can run up to 20 km a day in search of food. It mainly hunts fish (trout, roach, perch), frogs, crabs, water rats. It eats 1-2 kg of food a day. It does not eat garbage — only fresh. If the fish is sick, the otter ignores it. Therefore, the otte ... Read more