Otters are carnivores; they must eat a lot of meat to live, so they spend 3 to 5 hours every day fishing and hunting. They can die of hunger more quickly than most animals. They eat fish, crayfish, crabs, and frogs. They will eat any small animals and birds they can catch. Much of their food is found in water. They dive in rivers, lakes and streams until they can find a suitable animal to eat, which they then chase. Once they catch it, they bring it to the top of the water, where they eat it. If the animal has a hard shell, otters can use a rock as a tool to break open the shell.