Otter Juggling Rocks

One of the things I love about the internet is that every now and then I find something cute and interesting and then it makes me want to learn more about it. The other day I was browsing through youtube videos of cute animals and found a clip where an otter was juggling a rock and through that video I found other videos of otters juggling rocks. So I started searching for more information. But before I continue, check out this cute video of an otter juggling two small rocks.



Anyway, here are some of the things I found through this Wikipedia link:

1. Sea otters are one of the few mammals that use tools. They use rocks to break open preys that have hard shells. They eat while floating on their backs.

2. Otters are the only marine animals capable of lifting and turning over rocks.

3. In another link I also read that they juggle rocks because they have to handle slippery food, so they have to hone their skills. 

4. Sea otters eat approximately 25% of their weight in food each day to support their high metabolism. (Source: Sea Otter) ---> I'm ENVIOUS of their high metabolism! At this age it's getting harder and harder to lose weight compared to when I was still in my twenties.

In the Wikipedia page, I also found out that during mating, the male bites the nose of the female. Ewwwwww...that doesn't sound like a nice mating ritual at all, especially considering the fact that oftentimes the nose becomes bloody and scarred. Are they masochistic or something? LOL!!! Anyway, I won't share too many facts here because you can read them in the links that I've shared.

Last but not least, here's a video of an otter actually using a rock to break open some clams: