THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



animals the sense of touch in the forepaws is 

 extremely delicate, which no doubt enables the 

 creatures to locate certain of their prey by feeling 

 for it. In the large African otter the webs between 

 the toes are greatly reduced, and the facial bristles 

 or " whiskers " are much softer than those 

 possessed by the common otter. 



South America can boast of a very large otter, 

 whose tail is wider and more flattened than is the 

 case with the otters above mentioned. It will thus 

 be seen that there are only slight differences 

 between individuals composing the typical otters. 



The common British otter {Lutra vulgaris) is 



known by a variety of names in this country. The 



Welsh call the animal dwrgi, while in Cornish it 



is written durgi. In the Highlands, where Gaelic 



is spoken, the name is dobhran. The physical 



formation of the otter is admirably adapted to fit 



it for an aquatic existence. In order to offer the 



least possible resistance to the water when the 



animal is swimming below the surface, the otter's 



head and muzzle are flattened, and the ears are 



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