When river otters attack

[pixy0stix]

They were tired of sea otters get all the street cred.

www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/otter-attack-injures-three-women-floating-popular-montana-river/507-d82077c0-ff37-4bbb-81ee-104e7e1b522e

[aurora]

Yikes! That is not a threat I have considered before.

I think of this board every time people talk about how cute otters are.

[pugz]

lies! lol

[wawa]

I told my husband about this story and he was like "not surprised. River otters are huge.". And then he showed me. They get up to 5 feet! Did everyone else know this??

[suburbanzookeeper]

Aug 12, 2023 7:23:16 GMT -5 wawa said:

I told my husband about this story and he was like "not surprised. River otters are huge.". And then he showed me. They get up to 5 feet! Did everyone else know this??

Saw a video of them on TikTok and they are horrifyingly huge.

[underwaterrhymes]

Aug 12, 2023 7:23:16 GMT -5 wawa said:

I told my husband about this story and he was like "not surprised. River otters are huge.". And then he showed me. They get up to 5 feet! Did everyone else know this??

I love the idea of otters.

But I am 5 feet tall and the idea that an otter could be my size is terrifying.

[basilosaurus]

Aug 12, 2023 7:23:16 GMT -5 wawa said:

I told my husband about this story and he was like "not surprised. River otters are huge.". And then he showed me. They get up to 5 feet! Did everyone else know this??

Strangely I did know this, and I have no idea why. Probably something like Rick junior deep in my subconscious. But ask me if I know your name 10 seconds after you've told me for the umpteenth time and not a chance.

I don't think I've ever lived anywhere that they're in great numbers, but I'm sure I've seen them at zoos. Nope, I get to contend with giant water monitors instead.

[litebright]

Aug 12, 2023 7:23:16 GMT -5 wawa said:

I told my husband about this story and he was like "not surprised. River otters are huge.". And then he showed me. They get up to 5 feet! Did everyone else know this??

I didn't know five feet, but I did know they are surprisingly big -- definitely not, say, ferret-scale or raccoon-scale creatures. In my early reporter days, I did a story on a woman who had rehabbed a river otter that had been hit by a car. I ended up shut in a barn stall with it, perched on top of a big dog kennel so I was out of its way and having been thoroughly lectured about how nasty they can be. I watched her feed it (tossed fish in a kiddie pool) and then held a broom to help her herd it into the kennel so it could be transported for release. 

I still remember the sound of it crunching through whole fish, bones and all. I would not want to tangle with those claws or teeth. 

[wawa]

Aug 13, 2023 11:31:56 GMT -5 litebright said:

Aug 12, 2023 7:23:16 GMT -5 wawa said:

I told my husband about this story and he was like "not surprised. River otters are huge.". And then he showed me. They get up to 5 feet! Did everyone else know this??

I didn't know five feet, but I did know they are surprisingly big -- definitely not, say, ferret-scale or raccoon-scale creatures. In my early reporter days, I did a story on a woman who had rehabbed a river otter that had been hit by a car. I ended up shut in a barn stall with it, perched on top of a big dog kennel so I was out of its way and having been thoroughly lectured about how nasty they can be. I watched her feed it (tossed fish in a kiddie pool) and then held a broom to help her herd it into the kennel so it could be transported for release. 

I still remember the sound of it crunching through whole fish, bones and all. I would not want to tangle with those claws or teeth. 

The idea of a weasel cousin the size of even a medium dog is terrifying.

[maudefindlay]

We get beaver in our neighborhood at times and they are around 3 to 4 ft and that is plenty to me. My kids know to turn and walk away if they see one.

[InBetweenDays]

I have family in the area and the sister of one of the women came in to my nephew's wife's work. The attack sounds horrific. Here is a Facebook post written by one of the women. But warning that some of the photos are pretty graphic.

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0XWJDr12Qpetz1sFDeJxoT2srRguapBSFn9zfjEpirqnFZq9qt39yrHAVkJhBDqgsl&id=100002561608473&mibextid=Nif5oz