There isn’t much in the world that’s cuter than a baby river otter. These furry little bundles of joy are usually born in litters of two to six and between late winter and early spring.

At birth, the babies are called pups, and they tip the scales at 4-6 ounces. They are toothless, blind and, unlike many mammals, are born fully covered in fur.

Father otters play no role in rearing the offspring, so it is the mother’s job to care for the little ones. This includes teaching them how to swim — by dunking them into the water. Fortunately, otter pups are naturally good swimmers! It’s up to the mother to make sure her offspring grow up into North America’s most playful semi-aquatic mammals.

So what exactly separates river otters from other otters? Other mammals even? For starters, we’re going to be talking about North American river otters (Lontra canadensis).

These little guys are members of the mustelid, or weasel, family. This means they are related to not only weasels, skunks, badgers and, of course, other species of otters, like the sea otter. River otters differ from their sea-going cousins in that they are much smaller, their back legs end in paws instead of flippers, and perhaps most obvious, river otters live in freshwater rivers, lakes, ponds, estuaries, swamps and other bodies of water across most of Canada and the United States; sea otters can be found off the Pacific Coast.

One thing sea and river otters have in common is that they both inhabit habitats that must be kept suitable for them. This is why it is so important for us not to pollute our rivers and oceans with litter and other debris, and not overharvest populations of fish and other aquatic creatures otters prey upon.

River otters can grow from 26 to 41 inches from nose to tail and weigh anywhere between 11 and 30 pounds. Their brown fur is very dense, suitable for keeping the otters warm and dry even in very cold water. This is why they don’t have to hibernate during the winter like other animals do.

Their feet are webbed to help them swim, and their long tail acts as a rudder. They only rarely have to come up to the surface for a breath every eight minutes or so. These features make otters extremely maneuverable in the water. This is a good thing, because water is where most of their prey is found.

Otters are not very picky and will eat a variety of other animals commonly found in their aquatic habitat. This includes freshwater crabs, crayfish, bird’s eggs, turtles and other small reptiles, frogs and especially fish. They’ll occasionally snag small mammals like rabbits and muskrats, too.

They are one of the most social species of otters, often observed living together in small family groups in the wild. They talk to each other using a combination of whistles, growls, screams and yelping sounds. One of their favorite activities is belly-sliding down muddy or snow-covered hills into the water.

Make no mistake, the otter’s reputation as a fun-loving critter is no misnomer — these are certainly one of the most playful mammals in the entire animal kingdom!

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