Otter females are called bitches or sows, and their offspring are called pups. The collective nouns for otters are bevy, family, lodge, romp (being descriptive of their often playful nature) or, when in water, raft. The feces of otters are typically identified by their distinctive aroma, the smell of which has been described as ranging from freshly mown hay to putrefied fish; these are known as spraints. The gestation period in otters is about 60 to 86 days. The newborn pup is cared for by the bitch, dog and older offspring. Bitch otters reach sexual maturity at approximately two years of
Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) is a combined listing in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for two places in Australia known for their extensive fossil remains. The UNESCO listing is for two separate areas where fossils from the Cainozoic era have been found: Riversleigh and Naracoorte are considered to be among the world’s 10 greatest fossil sites and both locations are notable for the extreme diversity and quality of preservation of their fossils, which illustrate the evolution of mammals in Australia over the last 20 million years and demonstrate how marsupials