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!
African Clawless Otter
Congo Clawless 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 partially webbed paws and either no claws or very short claws
- Living in Africa
- Living in rainforests
- Eating frogs
- Having a conservation status of near threatened
Some differences include:
- Size: African clawless otters weigh quite a bit less than Congo clawless otters
- Environment: African clawless otters have a range that includes the coast while Congo clawless otters have a landlocked range
- Climate zone: African clawless otters live in temperate and arid climates as well as a tropical climate
- Family life: African clawless otters are polygynous while Congo clawless otters are monogamous, and African clawless otters breed during the dry season while Congo clawless otters breed year-round
Clearly these two otter species, living on the same continent, are similar and different in numerous ways. No matter how they live, where they live, or what they eat, African clawless otters and Congo clawless otters are both amazing animals and deserve all the love!
