29
Ottersareknownfortheir
unique—andespeciallystinky
—feces,called“spraints.”
“Theyhaveverystinkypoop,”
LisatellsAT. “Thestinkcomes
fromtheirdiet—theyeata
lotoffish.”Buttheirpoop’s
distinctsmellactuallyserves
a veryspecificpurpose:“The
scentcancommunicatevarious
informationtootherotters,”
Lisasays.That’sright!Each
sprainthasa particularsmell,
soottersusetheirpoopto
relaymessagestooneanother.
AccordingtoOneKindPlanet.
org,over 100 differentscent
componentsofotterdroppings
havebeenidentified.Anotter
cansimplysniffa pileofpoop
tofindoutinformationabout
theotterthatleftit. Weird —
butkindacool!“We’re like no
otter animal!”Otters’SpecialPoop!HUMAN THREATS
Even today, humans are
still the biggest threat to
otters’ existence. “Most
otter species do not have
many natural predators,”
Lisa explains. “They’re
extremely flexible and quick
in the water, which makes
them very hard to catch.
They also have very sharp
teeth and claws, which
they can use to defend
themselves if needed.”
However, humans have
had a detrimental impact
on otters. Pollution of our
waterways has hurt otters
and their food sources.
But Lisa says there
are ways to help. She
suggests supporting
conservation and
breeding programs such
as the Species Survival
Plan (SSP) in zoos. You
can also visit defenders.
org to find out what
you can do to protect
and preserve the otter
population.