THE OTTERS 



68 1 



the jaws, f are incisors, T canines, f premolars, and ^ molars. Thjg first premolar 



PALATE OF THE d,AWI,ESS OTTER. 



The uppermost tooth on each side is the molar, im- 

 mediately below which is the flesh-tooth. 



tooth in the upper jaw is, however, always very small, and in some species (as in the 

 case of the palate here figured) may be totally wanting, thus reducing the number of 

 the teeth to 34. The general characteristics 

 of the teeth of the upper jaw will be appar- 

 ent from the figure, and it will be seen that 

 the hinder teeth are furnished with a num- 

 ber of sharp cusps, admirably adapted to as- 

 sist in retaining the slippery prey of these 

 animals. In addition to the peculiar charac- 

 teristics of the teeth, the skull of an otter 

 may always be recognized at a glance by its 

 extreme constriction immediately behind the 

 sockets of the eyes, and the equally marked 

 expansion of the flattened brain case; the 

 portion of the skull forming the face being 

 also very short in proportion to the remain- 

 der. The tail is thick at the base, and somewhat flattened from above downward. 

 In most cases there are short claws on all the feet, but in a few species they may be 

 either rudimentary or absent. 



In all parts of their organization otters are admirably adapted for their particu- 

 lar mode of life; their elongated forms, with but slight constriction at the neck, be- 

 ing perfectly suited to glide through the water with the greatest ease and speed; 

 their thick, dense fur forming a perfect protection against chill, and their teeth, as 

 we have mentioned, being specially modified in order both to hold such slippery prey 

 as fishes, and at the same time to pierce with facility their hard scales. Probably, 

 in consequence of their precisely similar habits and mode of life, all the otters are so 

 like one another that it is extremely difficult to determine the exact number of 

 species, and scarcely any group has proved more puzzling in this respect to the sys- 

 tematic zoologist. It appears, however, that there are about ten species of true ot- 

 ters, of which one is European and Oriental, three are exclusively Oriental, two are 

 African, and four American. The largest of all is the Brazilian otter, while the two 

 smallest species are the feline otter of South America and the Indian clawless otter. 

 The geographical distribution of the genus is- wider than that of any other single 

 Mammalian genus, with the exception of certain bats; otters having been obtained 

 from all parts of the world except the Antarctic and Arctic regions, Australasia, and 

 Madagascar. We shall allude to the various species of the genus according to their 

 geographical distribution. 



The European otter (/,. vulgaris), is taken first, as being not only 

 the type of the genus, but likewise the best known; and many of our 

 remarks on its habits will also apply equally well to the others. 



In size this species occupies a kind of central position in the group, the average 

 length from the snout to the root of the tail being about twenty-six to twenty-eight 

 inches, and that of the tail fifteen to sixteen inches, while the weight is from six- 

 teen to eighteen, up to as much as twenty-four pounds. The fur consists of a soft 



European 

 Otter 



