For the great unwashed grip byanimal behavior , ottershave long been a root of curio . Their poop ( calledspraint ) has a somewhat pleasant smell and can be used to communicate sex , age , and other selective information to other otter who take a puff of air . Female otter can “ dramatize ” orphan otters as their own . And they can even use tools , wield John Rock to smash open food like clams .
Now , scientists are endeavor to decrypt why these cute creatures are so fond of a peculiarpastime . They wish to juggle pebble .
In astudypublished in theRoyal Society Open Alliancejournal , researcher at the University of Exeter took a skinny facial expression at 48 otter scatter across three wildlife parks and zoos in the UK . Two species , the Asiatic small - clawed otter ( Aonyx cinerea ) and the smooth - coated otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) , were involved . The otters were notice lazing around on their backs , tossing pebble around . ( For an otter , “ juggle ” meansmovinga rock around their chest , hands , and oral cavity . ) While clearly adorable , the question for scientists was whether this was a form of play or a behaviour tied to something else .
It could be an expression of thirstiness , as the otters lean to beguile more when they had n’t eat up for two or more hours — the otter interlingual rendition of slam silverware on the table . It ’s also potential the otters were playing with the rocks because it mimics the effort of foraging . The Asian small - clawed otter use manual dexterity to discover mollusc , while the smooth - coated otter eats Pisces . Both were observed to juggle , however . And after being given intellectual nourishment in containers that needed to be tampered with , it did n’t appear that the otter were using the same acquirement exhibited in the stone - tossing .
It ’s possible the otter are repulse to juggle instinctively to help evolve necessary motor skill betimes in life and to stave off cognitive declivity later in life . ( Both jr. and older otters were observed to engage in the pattern . )
Another explanation : otter get fidgety and blase and desire something to do . Further research is needed to tease out why these playful creatures bear the elbow room they do .
[ h / tThe Guardian ]
