While this is an amazing story, the urge to not post all the otter jokes is a fight I may lose.

All joking (briefly) aside, the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology just published findings about the otter species Siamogale melilutra as described by Wang et al. Skeletal pieces from three individuals were recovered in western China and used to characterize the ancient otter who outguns the giant river otter of today in size (approximately 50 kg to the giant otter’s 34).

While the specimens had elements reminiscent of both otters and badgers, a few distinctive features allowed researchers to place the animals firmly in subfamily Lutrinae, home to 13 current day otter species. However the paper notes the mixture of characteristics, described in some other genera as well, lead to some interesting questions about the ways in which the two may be related.

On the tail of this amazing find, I share an interesting otter fact which upon learning some years ago, quickly escalated their status in my heart: sea otters have loose folds of skin under their arms they use as pockets for storing food and rocks to use as tools.

I will close with the following video as it would be an otter shame not to: