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otter
otter name for a number of aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the weasel family, found on all continents except Australia. The common river otters of Eurasia and the Americas are species of the genus Lutra. The North American river otter, L. canadensis, ranges from N Alaska and Canada to the S United States. Its slender body is 2 1/2 to 3 ft (76-91 cm) long, excluding the 12-in. (30-cm), heavy tail; it weighs from 10 to 25 lb (4-10 kg). It has thick, glossy brown fur, which is commercially valuable. The head is flattened, the legs are short, and the hind feet are webbed. An agile swimmer, it fishes in streams and lakes, along the banks of which it makes its burrow. It also eats frogs, crayfish, and other water animals. Although it spends most of its time in water, it makes overland trips on occasion. The otter is a social and playful animal; groups have been seen playing "follow the leader," sliding down mudbanks, or tobogganing in the snow, apparently for the sake of pleasure. Of the freshwater otters, the South American giant otter, Pteronura brasiliensis, is the most highly modified for aquatic life. Its highly streamlined body is up to 7 ft (213 cm) long, the tail is keeled, and the feet are short, webbed, and nearly useless on land. Its mouth is set under the muzzle, like that of a shark. Hunted extensively for its fur, the giant otter may be in danger of extinction over much of its range. Otters of other genera are found in Africa and SE Asia. The sea otter, Enhydra lutris, found in and around the kelp beds of the N Pacific, is the only exclusively marine species, although river otters sometimes enter the ocean at the mouths of rivers. The sea otter swims on its back and in this position carries its cub and eats its meals of abalone, crab, and sea urchin, sometimes using a rock to smash open the shells. Relentless hunting of the animal led to its near extinction; however, it is now protected by international agreement. Otters are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Mustelidae.
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"otter." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "otter." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-otter.html "otter." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-otter.html |
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otter
otter. The fish-eating, web-footed musteline mammal (genus Lutra) appears frequently in narratives of the modern Celtic languages but does not appear to have had comparable attention in ancient Celtic tradition. While biologically related to the badger and the stoat, the otter is more often associated with the salmon for its perceived skill in catching. Ceridwen takes the form of an otter while in pursuit of Taliesin, who had become a salmon. A late accretion to the story of the early Irish King Lugaid mac Con portrays the king's mother being impregnated by an otter [cú dobhráin, water-hound] while bathing; later Lugaid's otter-father cures his sleeplessness by taking him under water. The epithet Dobharchon of Cuirithir, lover of Liadain, means ‘son of the otter’. So highly prized was the skin of the otter in 10th-century Wales that it was thought equal to those of the deer and the fox. The Highland bandit Rob Roy MacGregor (1671–1734) was reputed to have a sporran of otter skin. In the Hebrides, the liver of a newly killed otter gave the power to cure scalds and burns. The ‘father’ of otters in Irish folklore is Dobharchú. Ir. madra uisce, dobharchú; ScG dòbhran, biast-dhubh; Manx moddey ushtey, dooarchoo; W dwrgi, dyfgri; Corn. dowrgy, dowrast; Bret. dourgi.
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "otter." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "otter." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-otter.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "otter." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-otter.html |
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otter
otter, a board rigged with a line and bridle which, when towed underwater, stretches the line by reason of the outward angle at which the bridle holds it. It is used widely in fishing to spread out a net or to keep open the mouth of a trawl—though when otter boards are used on a trawl they are normally called doors. The name comes from the otter board used by salmon fishermen to tauten their line or net as they towed it along the shore, the otter being a great predator of salmon.
The principle of the otter board was also used in minesweeping devices. See oropesa sweep; paravane. |
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"otter." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "otter." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-otter.html "otter." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-otter.html |
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otter
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"otter." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "otter." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-otter.html "otter." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-otter.html |
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otter
ot·ter / ˈätər/ • n. a fish-eating mammal (Lutra and other genera) of the weasel family, typically semiaquatic, with an elongated body, dense fur, and webbed feet. Its several species include the river otter (L. canadensis). See also sea otter. |
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"otter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "otter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-otter.html "otter." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-otter.html |
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otter
otter OE. otr, ot(t)or = MLG., Du. otter, OHG. ottar (G. otter), ON. otr :- Gmc. *otraz :- IE. *udros. repr. by Skr. udrá-, Gr. húdros water-snake; rel. to WATER.
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T. F. HOAD. "otter." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "otter." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-otter.html T. F. HOAD. "otter." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-otter.html |
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otter
otter otters are the emblem of St Cuthbert.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "otter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "otter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-otter.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "otter." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-otter.html |
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otters
otters See MUSTELIDAE.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "otters." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "otters." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-otters.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "otters." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-otters.html |
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otter
otter •all-nighter, biter, blighter, fighter, igniter, inciter, indicter, inviter, lighter, mitre (US miter), overnighter, reciter, righter, sighter, smiter, writer
•shyster • rhymester • backbiter
•expediter • prizefighter • dogfighter
•bullfighter • gunfighter • lamplighter
•highlighter • downlighter
•moonlighter • uplighter • firelighter
•screenwriter • scriptwriter
•copywriter • signwriter • typewriter
•songwriter • ghostwriter
•underwriter
•blotter, cotta, cottar, dotter, gotta, hotter, jotter, knotter, otter, pelota, plotter, potter, ricotta, rotter, spotter, squatter, terracotta, totter, trotter
•crofter
•concocter, doctor, proctor
•Volta • prompter • wanter
•adopter, dioptre
•Costa, coster, defroster, foster, Gloucester, impostor, paternoster, roster
•lobster, mobster
•oxter • monster • songster
•witchdoctor • helicopter
•teleprompter • globetrotter
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"otter." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "otter." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-otter.html "otter." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-otter.html |
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