Otter Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the weasel family Mustelidae, which also includes badgers, honey badgers, martens, minks, polecats, and wolverines. The word "otter" derives from the Old English word "otor" or "oter". This, and cognate words in other Indo-European languages, ultimately stem from the Proto-Indo-European language root *wódr̥, which also gave rise to the English word "water". An otter's den is called a holt or couch. Male otters are called dogs or boars,
Otter Genus "Aonyx" Genus "Enhydra" Genus †"Megalenhydris" Genus †"Sardolutra" Genus †"Algarolutra" Genus †"Cyrnaonyx" Genus †"Teruelictis" Genus †"Enhydriodon" Genus †"Enhydritherium" Genus †"Teruelictis" Genus †"Limnonyx" Genus †"Lutravus" Genus †"Sivaonyx" Genus †"Torolutra" Genus †"Tyrrhenolutra" Genus †"Vishnuonyx" Genus †"Siamogale" The European otter ("Lutra lutra"), also called the Eurasian otter, inhabits Europe, most of Asia and parts of North Africa. In the British Isles, they were common as recently as the 1950s, but became rare in many areas due to the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, habitat loss and water pollution (they remained relatively common in parts of Scotland and Ireland). Population levels reached a low