River otters have long, stiff and highly sensitive facial whiskers that aid in locating and capturing prey. Asian small-clawed otter is a social species, usually living in extended family groups numbering around a dozen individuals. Like other carnivores, their teeth are well adapted for grinding and crushing. Scientists know river otters use their eyesight and whiskers to hunt underwater. Powerful paws and flippers. Show your appreciation by donating, tweeting, facebook, and following! They need to eat often and will hunt throughout the day — up to five hours! Their whiskers feel movement in the water—the swish of a fish's tail, for example. Twitter Instagram Share . Otters clearly use their paws and whiskers a lot—but knowing that they can use their sense of touch so quickly is fascinating, he said. “It makes sense because sea otters have to be really efficient at finding food and making decisions in the wild,” Strobel said. Want to watch cute sea otters romp, wrestle and play every day of the year? Whiskers sense vibrations in the water. Our creators love hearing from you and seeing how you’ve used their photos. But could river otters rely on another sense? The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) is the smallest marine mammal in North America – males measure 1.2 metres in length and weigh an average of 45 kilograms (females are a bit smaller).At the same time, the Sea Otter is the largest member of its family, the mustelids, which includes River Otters, weasels, badgers, wolverines and martens. They use their paws to locate prey. Despite living in the cold Pacific Ocean, the sea otter doesn't have insulating blubber like other ocean mammals such as the whale.

River otters use lots of energy and digest their food very fast, so they eat several times a day. Some species, like the Asian small-clawed otter, also use their hands to probe into mud or under rocks to find a tasty meal that might be hiding there. This otter was spotted at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in California eating a crab.
When otters seem to be fiddling around in the ocean, they’re also collecting lots of information from their paws and their whiskers—using touch quickly enough to keep up with their voracious appetites. By Kathryn Knight (J. Exp. The Southern Sea Otter is found in California. North American river otters have long whiskers, which they use to detect prey in dark or cloudy water, and clawed feet for grasping onto slippery prey. Free Images : nature, wildlife, fur, fauna, whiskers, snout, mink, harbor seal, sea otter, marine mammal, mustelidae, carnivoran, viverridae, terrestrial animal 2560x1920. To find food, sea otters may occasionally dive as deep as 250 feet and will use their sensitive whiskers to locate small prey inside crevices or their strong forepaws to dig for clams. The sea otter has a very buoyant body. Otters will use their sensitive paws, claws and stiff whiskers to forage for food.
The nostrils and ears close when underwater. Otters have long, sensitive whiskers that help them find prey, even in murky water.