The river otter is one of the largest representatives of the weasel family. It is a large animal with an elongated flexible body of streamlined shape.

This species is rare, even though it is found in Europe, Asia, Mongolia, China, Japan, as well as many West-African countries, including Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Nigeria. Otters inhabit banks of rivers and lakes, and can live both in water and on land.

Our ancient ancestors regarded the otter as a mythological animal. The Ainu, who lived in the territory of modern Sakhalin, believed that the otter is to blame for human mortality. The god, that was to create a human being, sent an otter to the heavenly patron to find out what material should be used to make such a complex creature. On its way back, the otter forgot what the supreme god answered and told the creator that people should not be of stone, but of wood.

People of the Northern Altai also considered the otter an important animal. The legend said: those who killed an otter had to perform a ritual to avoid death. The animal was buried by letting it go down the water, which was followed by mourning and asking it for forgiveness.

Otters eat mostly small fish, as well as crayfish, freshwater molluscs or large water bugs. They prefer to hunt at night or dusk. In winter, otters have to roam from place to place, overcoming even high watersheds in search of food.