Otters. You know why you’re reading about them, right? JVA is the home of the otters; you’re an otter. The picture for the student group in Schoology and the weekly Otter News shows that… and, well, tells that. Our drawn mascot may not have the appearance of real otters–they don’t have abs and can’t stand on just two legs unfortunately–but the spirit is still there. No one can deny that we’re the JVA otters. But what about the real deal? What is the real life animal our mascot is modeled after like? Glad you asked.
As you may remember, there are 13 species of otters. They’re all otters, but there’s still differences between them. What are those differences? Well, let’s take a deeper look at each species to see!
Hairy-Nosed Otter
Spotted-Necked Otter
An obvious difference between these two species is their genus and scientific name, as well as their appearance. With different species or subspecies differences in color, size, location, family life, and diet can be predicted. However, that is not always the case.
Some similarities include:
- Having fully webbed paws and visible claws
- Having a range including the ocean
- Breeding season varying by region
- The diet consisting of fish and mollusks
- Having habitat destruction and hunting as population threats
Some differences include:
- Location: hairy-nosed otters live in Asia while Spotted-necked otters live in Africa
- Climate zone: spotted-necked otters live in a temperate climate as well as a tropical climate
- Family life: hairy-nosed otters are monogamous while spotted-necked otters are polygynous and males may help feed pups at 5 months
- Conservation status: hairy-nosed otters are endangered while spotted-necked otters are near threatened
Clearly, these two otter species, living on different continents, have a few similarities and differences. No matter how they live, where they live, or what they eat, hairy-nosed otters and spotted-necked otters are both amazing animals and deserve all the love!
