Many animals prefer to avoid the icy winter, either by migrating, or by hibernating, but not the river otter, who can often be seen playfully sledding down hills on their stomachs, or playing in the snow. Otters have a special coat of fur with guard hairs to keep out the elements, and wavy underfur to trap in warm air. This special fur, combined with oil to keep out water, acts as a splendid winter coat for the otters. With all the protection from the cold, otters can freely swim and dive through the icy waters, which is very useful as their diet comprises of fish.

When the surface of water bodies freezes over, otters just need to find a way to access the water below. Getting below the ice isn’t a problem for otters, as they’ll mainly stick near rivers or streams, places with flowing water, since the flowing water won’t freeze over like a lake or pond. And should a hole is made in the ice, otters will make sure that the hole doesn't freeze over again!

See also our interesting previous post on otters: zafoid.com/post/view/11139