North American otter

North American otter
Otter Ot"ter ([o^]t"t[~e]r), n. [OE. oter, AS. otor; akin to D. & G. otter, Icel. otr, Dan. odder, Sw. utter, Lith. udra, Russ, vuidra, Gr. "y`dra water serpent, hydra, Skr. udra otter, and also to E. water. [root]137, 215. See {Water}, and cf. {Hydra}.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Zo["o]l.) Any carnivorous animal of the genera {Lutra}, {Enhydra}, and related genera of the family {Mustelidae}. Several species are described. They have large, flattish heads, short ears, and webbed toes. They are aquatic, and feed on fish. The sea otter ({Enhydra lutris}) also eats clams, crabs, starfish, abalone, and other marine animals; they may come to the surface, and lying on their backs using the stomach as a table, may be seen cracking open the shell of its prey with a rock. The common otter of Europe is {Lutra vulgaris}; the {North American otter} (or American otter) is {Lutra Canadensis}, which inhabits marshes, streams and rivers; other species inhabit South America and Asia. The North American otter adult is about three to four feet long (including the tail) and weighs from 10 to 30 pounds; the sea otter is commonly four feet long and 45 pounds (female) or 60 pounds (male). Their fur is soft and valuable, and in the nineteenth century they were hunted extensively. The sea otter was hunted to near extinction by 1900, and is now protected. Fewer than 3,000 sea otters are believed to live along the central California coast. [1913 Webster +PJC]

2. (Zo["o]l.) The larva of the ghost moth. It is very injurious to hop vines. [1913 Webster]

{Otter hound}, {Otter dog} (Zo["o]l.), a small breed of hounds, used in England for hunting otters; see {otterhound} .

{Otter sheep}. See {Ancon sheep}, under {Ancon}.

{Otter shell} (Zo["o]l.), very large bivalve mollusk ({Schizoth[ae]rus Nuttallii}) found on the northwest coast of America. It is excellent food, and is extensively used by the Indians.

{Sea otter}. (Zo["o]l.) See in the Vocabulary. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • North American river otter — Conservation status Least Concern …   Wikipedia

  • North American Fur Auctions — (commonly known as NAFA) is a Canadian company that auctions on consignment fur pelts harvested in Canada and the United States. Its services are used by both large fur farms and small time trappers. Its auctions are held three to four times a… …   Wikipedia

  • North American River Otter — Taxobox name = North American River Otter status = LC status system = iucn2.3 status ref = IUCN2007|assessors=Serfass|year=2004|id=12302|title=Lontra canadensis|downloaded=06 May 2008 Database entry includes justification for why this species is… …   Wikipedia

  • North American Beaver — Castor canadensis Conservation status Least Concern ( …   Wikipedia

  • North American Family Campers Association — The North American Family Campers Association (NAFCA) is a non profit family camping association. NAFCA s is built on a structure of volunteers who hold offices to create a form of government. NAFCA is an international organization that has… …   Wikipedia

  • North American river otter — kanadinė ūdra statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Lutra canadensis angl. Canadian river otter; North American river otter vok. nordamerikanischer Fischotter rus. канадская выдра; североамериканская выдра… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • North American T-6 Texan — Pour les articles homonymes, voir T 6, SNJ et AT 6. North American T 6 Texan …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Otter — Ot ter ([o^]t t[ e]r), n. [OE. oter, AS. otor; akin to D. & G. otter, Icel. otr, Dan. odder, Sw. utter, Lith. udra, Russ, vuidra, Gr. y dra water serpent, hydra, Skr. udra otter, and also to E. water. [root]137, 215. See {Water}, and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Otter dog — Otter Ot ter ([o^]t t[ e]r), n. [OE. oter, AS. otor; akin to D. & G. otter, Icel. otr, Dan. odder, Sw. utter, Lith. udra, Russ, vuidra, Gr. y dra water serpent, hydra, Skr. udra otter, and also to E. water. [root]137, 215. See {Water}, and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Otter hound — Otter Ot ter ([o^]t t[ e]r), n. [OE. oter, AS. otor; akin to D. & G. otter, Icel. otr, Dan. odder, Sw. utter, Lith. udra, Russ, vuidra, Gr. y dra water serpent, hydra, Skr. udra otter, and also to E. water. [root]137, 215. See {Water}, and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”