Baby otters are adorable and go viral online for their cuteness all the time! One of these videos from the Oregon Zoo YouTube channel highlights an adorable stage of the baby’s life. As otters are aquatic animals, it is clear that they need to know how to swim. But have you ever wondered how they learn to swim? Read here to learn more!
Otter pups learn how to swim from their mothers.
©MODpix/Shutterstock.com
How Do Otters Learn to Swim?
While some animals are born knowing how to navigate all aspects of life, otters are not born knowing how to swim. For example, while turtles may be born on land and can swim immediately after hatching, baby otters must go through a difficult learning process. Learning to swim is important, and their parents help teach them how to make the most of their various adaptations. With webbed feet, dense fur, and hydrodynamic bodies, otters are built for the water. Mother otters play the most important roles in teaching their pups to swim. They intentionally drag and carry their pups into the water to expose them to it. Without their mothers’ encouragement, otter pups might hesitate to enter the water at first.
Thanks to their fur, otter pups can float almost instinctively. This makes them perfect for the water, but the coordination needed for swimming is a whole separate skill. Over time, the mother otter will demonstrate and teach the pup rhythm, movement, breathing, and how to navigate water currents. These learned behaviors are important for many aspects of an otter’s life as it grows older. When hunting underwater, strong coordination is essential for their survival. Similarly, being able to outswim predators is crucial. This makes the learning process essential for otter pups.
A river otter and their pup.
©iStock.com/Dgwildlife
When Do They Learn?
When and how long it takes an otter pup to learn to swim depends on the species. River otter pups, for example, are born blind, which means it takes them longer to learn to swim as they gradually gain their eyesight. They will start to learn at around two months and are typically independent by six to eight months old. Sea otters, on the other hand, have an earlier start at around four weeks. By around six weeks, sea otter pups are proficient swimmers, and they are typically weaned from their mothers between four and six months of age. Because there are many otter species, the timeline for learning to swim varies. Regardless of the species, otter pups rely heavily on their mothers’ support to become independent and skilled swimmers.
