#water mammals

[hellsitegenetics]

Hello! I run the social media for my local library and I was just wondering what sort of plant or creature might emerge if I talk about books here. Just a lil guy perhaps, to encourage public library use. A new library mascot to say "Books are cool! Reading is fun!" etc. Thank you for your time and efforts. 📚

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Closest match: Lutra lutra genome assembly, chromosome: 14 Common name: Eurasian Otter

[littlepawz]

I just can’t get enough of these adorable creatures. Otters have always been my favourite animals and these little guys literally exude ‘animal magnetism’ <3 

[jaegexy]

Alaska, June 2020

Source: poeticecstasy

[emry-stars-art]

You know when babies are so tired that they’re fussing too much to sleep until you put their head down on your shoulder or something and they pass out immediately

Baby shark has been swimming for a long time with no way to take a break. Hello Whalemack 🐋

(More on Whalemack here)

[tokay-blog]

[antiqueanimals]

Indian Buffaloes by Cuthbert Edmund Swan. From Wild Beasts of the World, Vol. Two. Written by Frank Finn, published in 1909.

Internet Archive

[fyeahygocardart]

Xyz Slidolphin

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

iiiiiiiit's monsoon day at the apartment!

it's been a few months? like since august or september that the succulents have had any water other than an errant spritz here or there so everyone's getting bath-levels of water that'll last them another few months

[bethanythebogwitch]

Today's Wet Beast Wednesday is about sea otters. I was originally going to do this last week in honor of the 24th birthday of Rosa, the world's oldest sea otter (and one of the oldest sea otters on record) but, well, I forgot. But better late than never.

(Image: a sea otter on its back, yawning)

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is one of only two otters to live in salt water, the other being the rare and poorly-understood marine otter (Lontra felina). Otters are aquatic mammals of the family Mustelidae, which makes them cousins to weasels, badgers, wolverines, and martens. While many mustelids can swim, otters have adapted to a primarily aquatic lifestyle. Sea otters are divided into three subspecies: the Asian sea otter (Enhydra lutris lutris) which lives from northernmost Japan up through the northwest Pacific, northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) which lives from Alaska down to Oregon, and the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis), found in California.

(image: a sea otter relaxing on a rock)

The sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals (only the marine otter is smaller), yet it is also the heaviest of all mustelids. Males are larger than females, averaging between 1.2 and 1.5 meters (3'11" to 4'11") and 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lbs). Females average 1 to 1.4 m (3'3" to 4'7") and 14 to 33 kg (31 to 73 lbs). I honestly thought they were around the size of cats and was surprised to find out how big they can get. Otters are the most recent of the marine mammals and have not developed the thick layer of blubber other marine mammals use to keep themselves warm. Instead, sea otters warm themselves with the densest fur of any mammal, with almost a million hairs per square inch. The fur has two distinct layers: a longer layer of waterproof guard hairs and a shorter underfur layer. The guard hairs keep the underfur dry and trap air between the layers. This air gets heated by the otters body heat and provides an extra layer of insulation. This is the same principle that wet suits work on. The air layer also provides some added buoyancy. Sea otters are positively buoyant and can float on the surface of the water. There are many other adaptations to an aquatic lifestyle that sea otter have. Their feet are webbed and have long digits, allowing them to act as flippers but also making them slower and more clumsy on land. The front claws have retractable claws and pads that let them grab onto slippery objects. When swimming, they use their entire real bodies, but primarily their hind feet, for propulsion. They can hold their breath for up to five minutes and have whiskers used to search for food in darker water. Their ears and nostrils close when submerged to keep water out. While sea otter can, and often do, move around on land, they are capable of living their entire lives in the water. Some evolutionary biologists think sea otters represent an early stage of marine mammal development and can compare them to more established marine mammals like cetaceans and pinnipeds.

(image: a wet weasel holding a sea urchin)

Sea otters are carnivores whose diet consists mostly of hard-shelled invertebrates, though they will also eat fish. They forage for food on the sea floor in dives that usually last a minute. Their paws give them an advantage over other marine mammals, who can only use their mouths for capturing prey. Otters by contrast can pick up and move rocks and dig into the sediment. They are the only marine mammals to catch prey with their paws instead of teeth. Otters carry prey to the surface and eat while floating on their backs. Famously, they use rocks to break open the hard shells of their prey, making them one of the relatively few mammals to use tools (though tool use is proving to be more common than previously thought). Under each arm is a pouch of loose skin that is used to hold prey and rocks. Each otter has a favorite rock that they carry with them. Sea otters have blunt teeth used to crush through prey's shells.

(image: an otter dining on crab)

While sea otters do spend a lot of time in groups, they are not considered truly social animals as they forage, groom, and defend themselves on their own instead of with help. Groups of otters are called rafts that typically have between 10 and 100 members, but can reach up to 2000 members. Rafts are single sex, each having only male or female members. When resting, raft members will hold hands to keep themselves from drifting apart. One social behavior they engage in is play, which is done frequently. Mating season happens in autumn. During summer and autumn, males will attempt to establish territories and push other males out. Females mover between territories at will. Males without territories will swim around and attempt to find females in heat. Males will attempt to mate with multiple females. During estrus, the males and females will bond through play and sometimes aggressive behavior. When mating, the male will bite the female's head, which can leave scars. Otters are capable of delayed embryo implantation, where they can wait for several months between conception and the embryo beginning development. Pregnancy lasts four months and typically results in a single pup. While males are absentee fathers, females are very caring mothers who spend almost all their time caring for their pups. The only time she leaves her pup will be when diving. The pup will be left floating on the surface, often wrapped with kelp to keep it from floating away. The baby will cry for its mother until she comes back. The mother will teach her pup how to dive and forage as it ages. Pups will stay with their mothers for 6 to 8 months (longer in colder areas), and sometimes until they are fully developed. Childless females will foster orphaned pups. Females reach sexual maturity at age 3-4 and males around age 5. They average 10 - 15 years in the wild and can live significantly longer in captivity. The oldest living sea otter is Rosa, living in the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who is 24 years old. The oldest sea otter on record was a female named Etika who lived to be 28.

(image: two sea otters holding hands)

(image: a sea otter mother sleeping with its baby on its stomach)

Sea otters are a classic example of an endangered species. They have been hunted throughout history for their fur. Eventually, this reduced the world population to less than 2000 individuals. They are now the target of conservation measures worldwide and local and international protections, which has helped the population rebound. They still have not regained their historical population or range, though reintroduction measures have helped them reestablish in historical territories. The southern sea otters are the most endangered. Famously, almost all southern sea otters alive today are descended from a group of 50 discovered in 1938, when the subspecies was almost extinct. Sea otters are classified as endangered by the IUCN. Sea otters are a keystone species, having a major ecological impact on their habitats. Famously in California, the near-extinction of southern sea otters resulted in a population boon of sea urchins (their primary prey) which proceeded to kill vast areas of kelp forest. Curren threats include predation, pollution, and habitat loss. Oil spills are particularly devastating to sea otters, as the oil destroys the air layer in their fur, destroying their ability to keep themselves warm.

(image: an employee with MBARI releasing a rehabilitated sea otter back into the wild)

[vintagewildlife]

Asian water buffalo By: Unknown photographer From: Disney’s Wonderful World of Knowledge 1973

[snailtongue]

Riptide of Chincoteague

[ID: Riptide, a silver dapple Chincoteague pony with a large blaze, shoulder-deep in clear, reflective water. The pony's reflection is mirror-like underneath him.] via

[goddamnshinyrock]

in the latest episode of the Smithsonian Sidedoor podcast, the host goes to great lengths to describe how elusive and hard to spot river otters are, meanwhile I've seen them in a city park?? during broad daylight??? in a major metro area???? many times????? She even interviews an otter researcher who is like 'I've been studying them for years and still only actually seen one in person at the national zoo :('

like girl, move to seattle maybe? idk what to tell you, I've seen them while walking my dog or birding or even just getting coffee.

[approximately-32-leafcutter-ants]

absolutely dying to tell someone my shitty theories on the evolutionary tree of pikmin enemies

[toacody]

Gafna

"Not a creature was stirring, Not even a [Gafna]."

Source

Creator: FeroxJ

[chunkfunkgunk-offishal]

I would love a chunk-funk-gunk rating of any seal of your choice!

Today on CHUNK! FUNK! GUNK! We rate

the HARBOR SEAL:

10/10 Chunk

4/10 Funk

0/10 Gunk

HARBOR SEALS!! My personal favorites, since one of my favorite stuffed animals when I was little was a harbor seal bought from a gift shop at a harbor. Seals are very funky animals in general, but if I rate them on a scale of ‘general funkiness’ or ‘funkiness for a SEAL’, then the values are different. Harbor seals aren’t the most unique or interesting seals, but they are cute and spotted. Chunk is self explanatory. Look at them. High chunk. Very dry little guys, no gunk.

[orcinus-veterinarius]

What is ur favorite pinniped? I personally think ribbon seals are silly little guys

I’m a basic girl