Who doesn't love otters? If you have seen them lying on their backs holding hands, you can hardly fail to find them cute! But of course there is much more to otters than cuteness, and here you can learn about them and enjoy our printable activities with the kids too. Learn about Otters Otters love fish - but they will also eat frogs and crabs, small water birds and other small mammals. You will find them by rivers, lakes and seas. They are excellent swimmers, with webbed feet and powerful tails, and their thick fur keeps them warm. They can close their eyes and their nose when underwater. World Otter Day is 30th May! That's a good excuse to find out more about these interesting creatures... There are many different species of otter found around the world, including the sea otter (found on the Pacific coast of North America) and the giant otter (found mainly in South America), which can grow to up to 1.8m (just under 6ft). Otters are quite charming to watch, playing and frolicking and falling asleep on their backs, even holding hands, as they float. I was lucky enough to see some sea otters doing just that at the Monterey Bay Acquarium in California! They have a sea otter web cam so you might be able to see something like that too. Otters were nearly wiped out in the UK in the 20th century, but conservation projects and cleaning up rivers has helped and they are now on the increase again. They live in underground burrows (known as holts) where they raise their cubs (or pups), who will be fine swimmers by 10 weeks old. Fun Fact: A group of otters can be known as a bevy, a family, a lodge or a romp! Our Otter Activities