OTTERS. 
9 i 
PALATE OP THE CLAWLESS OTTER. 
The uppermost tooth on each side is the molar, 
immediately below which is the flesh-tooth. 
portion much expanded. All the species of these animals are thoroughly aquatic 
in their habits. 
The typical otters, which include all the species except the sea-otter, are 
characterised by their hind-feet being of normal form, and by the number and 
structure of their teeth. As a rule, the total number of teeth is 36, of which, on 
each side of the jaws, § are incisors, \ canines, § premolars, and | molars. The 
first premolar 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 apparent from the 
figure, and it will be seen that the hinder 
teeth are furnished with a number of sharp 
cusps, admirably adapted to assist in retain¬ 
ing the slij)pery prey of these animals. In 
addition to the peculiar characters of the 
teeth, the skull of an otter may always be 
recognised at a glance by its extreme con¬ 
striction 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 remainder. The tail is thick at the base, and some¬ 
what flattened from above downwards. 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 organisation otters are admirably adapted for their 
particular mode of life; their elongated forms, with but slight constriction at the 
neck, being 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 systematic zoologist. It appears, however, that there are about ten 
species of true otters, 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 ( L. vulgaris), which is the one represented 
European otter. c0 l 0 ured Plate, is taken first, as being not only the type of the 
