Cute Otters! Snakes catching tropical fish HD endangered threatened Español Monterey Aquarium
January 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under tropical pet fish
Watch in High Definition Read in Spanish (Español) and English (pause the video!) Threatened Asian small-clawed Otters! – Asian vine snakes catching fish as they hang (like vines) from vegetation – Tropical Fish: Paradis fish, betta, pearl gourami – at the Monterey Aquarium in California.
The Asian otters are “threatened” animals (not yet endangered or extinct).
Southeast Asian river
Otters and breeding fish depend on healthy Asian rivers
Asian small-clawed otters swim with carfish, gouramis and other tropical fish in ht elazy rivers of Southeast Asia. Looke for the bettas – they’re ancestors of the incredibly showy Siamese fighting fish bred for the pet trade.
Non-native ferns keep wild bettas from breeding
Bettas and gouramis have a special way of reproducing – they lay their eggs in “bubble nests” at the surface of the water. In parts of Asia, invasive ferns grow so thick that the fish can’t reach the surface to make their nests.
Rio del sureste asiatico
Las nutrias y los peces dependen de rios asiaticos saludables
La introduccion de helechos impide la reporduccion de los betta silvestras
The movement of swift-running rivers fools us – even rushing rivers are vulnerable!
Meet Satu, Tiga, Empat and Dua!
These four Asian small-clawed otters come to us from the Singapore Zoo. They’re part of the Species Survival Plan, a breeding program for endangered wildlife. The two pairs of bachelor brothers have lived together since 2004.
Handlike paws are perfect for picking up prey
Small-clawed otters are one of the few mammals to use their front paws with skill that’s close to ours. Their handlike paws dig in the mud, turn over rocks, pick up small shrimp and nab crabs and fish.
These otters mate for life
These truly social otters mate for life and raise their pups together. As pups grow up, they help take care of their brothers and sisters too. But when a parent dies, the siblings split up and venture off alone to find mates of their own.
All work and no play? No way!
Asian small-clawed otters play more than any otter species – in the wild and on exhibit. Watch for our playful otters juggling their favorite toys – pebbles! You might also see them diving for small stones or hiding them from each other.
These otters stay in touch with sound
Asian otters communicate with a wide variety of sounds, from squeaks and snorts to chirps and hums. With up to twelve different calls, the otters vocalize often and loudly to stay in touch. The dominant otter usually starts the calling.
Hear the sound of a minor squabble between our four otters
Hear our hungry otters crunching their kibble
Hear our otters yelp, yip and sueal with excitement
Otters are semi-aquatic (or in one case aquatic) fish-eating mammals. The otter subfamily Lutrinae forms part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, as well as others. With thirteen species in seven genera, otters have an almost worldwide distribution. They mainly eat aquatic animals, predominantly fish and shellfish, but also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals.
Etymology and terminology
The word otter derives from the Old English word otr, otor or oter. This and cognate words in other Indo-European languages ultimately stem from a root which also gave rise to the English words water, wet and winter.
An otter’s den is called a holt. Male otters are dog-otters, females are es and babies are cubs or pups. The collective noun for otters is pack or sometimes romp, being descriptive of their often playful nature.
Characteristics
Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs, with webbed paws. Most have sharp claws on their feet, and all except the sea otter have long muscular tails.
They have a very soft underfur which is protected by their outer layer of long guard hair. This traps a layer of air, and keeps them dry and warm under water.
Diet and behavior
Otters do not depend on their specialized fur alone for survival in the cold waters where many live: they also have very high metabolic rates. For example Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body-weight a day, and sea otters 20 to 25%, depending on the temperature. In water as warm as 10°C (50°F) an otter needs to catch 100 grams (3 oz) of fish per hour to survive. Most species hunt for 3 to 5 hours a day, and nursing mothers up to 8 hours a day.
For most otters, fish is the primary staple of their diet. This is often supplemented by frogs, crayfish and crabs. Some otters are expert at opening shellfish, and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion.
Duration : 0:4:4
