Otter Appreciation Station 2019
September 22, 2019 12:09 PM Subscribe
It's Sea Otter Awareness Week, but since river otters are sadly missing a week of their own this will be your all-in-one otter shop, so let's dive in!
Youtube Otters
* Kotaro & Hana, 123k - A daily channel, Kotaro & Hana are relatively rare as a multi-otter household. Kotaro is the older of the two, and tends to be a bit shy; while Hana is eager to play and quick to test out a new toy.
* Captain Aty, 15.7k - A newer daily channel, Aty is a very good Asian short-clawed otter who's notable for frequently swimming & surveying rivers across Japan. Very good for seeing an account start from the ground up, and for seeing an otter out swimming in natural water regularly.
* Bingo the Otter, 146k is one of the most quickly growing daily otter channels, complete with a photo book on Amazon. Bingo hates fish but loves corn and cat kibble, and has never met a phone they didn't want to immediately steal. Bingo also goes on regular walks in the park, and livestreams on special occasions.
* Sakura, 211k posts 3x weekly, Sakura is a very vocal/chirpy otter with an eager appetite and a belly which lends itself well to being written on while sleeping.
* Otter Kochi, 979 is a bit more infrequent of an account, and Kochi stands out for being one of the most adventurous Youtube otters when it comes to reviewing food. Excellent otter.
* Otter Family, 95k is a rarer South Korean multi-otter household, and is much more open about the experience of living with otters. Sury is particularly eager to go on walks, and they enjoy trying all manner of fish.
Instagram/Facebook Otters
* Ponchan918, 270k is one of the original otter accounts, with Takechiyo and Aoi starring in family calendars for their fans. Ponchan is one of the most commonly interviewed accounts for documentaries and news pieces about the dangers of otter smuggling & otter fame. A multi-otter account, it's adorable seeing Reina growing up with otters by her side.
* uso_otter, 6.1k follows Hinata at the Higashiyama Zoo & Botanical Garden, with many top-notch photos of Hinata curled up in leaf piles or along pool banks.
* Otter City, 14k (also heavily on Facebook) is a particularly neat account, as it follows the famed Singapore Urban Wild otters. Tales of the exploits of the Bishan 10 have drawn the attention of Davit Attenborough, and in 2016 they were voted to represent Singapore by the Straits Times. Territorial challenges are frequently covered, and a 2017 incident between the Bishan and the Marina otter families which resulted in the loss of a pup led to questions about human intervention in otter disputes.
* OtterWatch, 41k also follows wild Singapore otters as a volunteer organization which tracks otter families and protects them from human dangers. They work closely with the IUCN Otter Working Group.
* Tamar Otter Wildlife Centre, in Cornwall, acts as a UK wildlife reserve protecting space for British and Asian short-clawed otters, as well as fallow & muntjac deer, wallabies, meerkats, and owls.
* Cartel the Otter, 299k was one of the first & biggest Instagram otter accounts, bringing the world photos from baby onward. Cartel has regularly spoken about the need to better protect otters from poachers.
Otter Aggregators
* In Otter News (Instagram, Twitter) gathers all types of otters under one banner, with an emphasis on comedy captions with the recurring character of Steve the Otter.
* The Daily Otter does exactly what it says on the tin, giving you an adorable otter each day. This account posts sea otters more regularly than some of the other accounts.
Otter-inclusive accounts
* Monterey Bay Aquarium posts more than just otters, but they have some of the best sea otter photos around, and are very active and interactive with social media. Sea Otter Cam
* Oregon Coast Aquarium is also out there and ready to show you the wonders of sea otters in a contemporary online package. Sea Otter Cam
Lastly, there's big news to celebrate this year as CITES added Asian small-clawed otters and smooth-coated otters to the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1, substantially increasing legal protections against otter smuggling for increasingly popular otter cafes.
Previously, sea otters are bouncing back.
Youtube Otters
* Kotaro & Hana, 123k - A daily channel, Kotaro & Hana are relatively rare as a multi-otter household. Kotaro is the older of the two, and tends to be a bit shy; while Hana is eager to play and quick to test out a new toy.
* Captain Aty, 15.7k - A newer daily channel, Aty is a very good Asian short-clawed otter who's notable for frequently swimming & surveying rivers across Japan. Very good for seeing an account start from the ground up, and for seeing an otter out swimming in natural water regularly.
* Bingo the Otter, 146k is one of the most quickly growing daily otter channels, complete with a photo book on Amazon. Bingo hates fish but loves corn and cat kibble, and has never met a phone they didn't want to immediately steal. Bingo also goes on regular walks in the park, and livestreams on special occasions.
* Sakura, 211k posts 3x weekly, Sakura is a very vocal/chirpy otter with an eager appetite and a belly which lends itself well to being written on while sleeping.
* Otter Kochi, 979 is a bit more infrequent of an account, and Kochi stands out for being one of the most adventurous Youtube otters when it comes to reviewing food. Excellent otter.
* Otter Family, 95k is a rarer South Korean multi-otter household, and is much more open about the experience of living with otters. Sury is particularly eager to go on walks, and they enjoy trying all manner of fish.
Instagram/Facebook Otters
* Ponchan918, 270k is one of the original otter accounts, with Takechiyo and Aoi starring in family calendars for their fans. Ponchan is one of the most commonly interviewed accounts for documentaries and news pieces about the dangers of otter smuggling & otter fame. A multi-otter account, it's adorable seeing Reina growing up with otters by her side.
* uso_otter, 6.1k follows Hinata at the Higashiyama Zoo & Botanical Garden, with many top-notch photos of Hinata curled up in leaf piles or along pool banks.
* Otter City, 14k (also heavily on Facebook) is a particularly neat account, as it follows the famed Singapore Urban Wild otters. Tales of the exploits of the Bishan 10 have drawn the attention of Davit Attenborough, and in 2016 they were voted to represent Singapore by the Straits Times. Territorial challenges are frequently covered, and a 2017 incident between the Bishan and the Marina otter families which resulted in the loss of a pup led to questions about human intervention in otter disputes.
* OtterWatch, 41k also follows wild Singapore otters as a volunteer organization which tracks otter families and protects them from human dangers. They work closely with the IUCN Otter Working Group.
* Tamar Otter Wildlife Centre, in Cornwall, acts as a UK wildlife reserve protecting space for British and Asian short-clawed otters, as well as fallow & muntjac deer, wallabies, meerkats, and owls.
* Cartel the Otter, 299k was one of the first & biggest Instagram otter accounts, bringing the world photos from baby onward. Cartel has regularly spoken about the need to better protect otters from poachers.
Otter Aggregators
* In Otter News (Instagram, Twitter) gathers all types of otters under one banner, with an emphasis on comedy captions with the recurring character of Steve the Otter.
* The Daily Otter does exactly what it says on the tin, giving you an adorable otter each day. This account posts sea otters more regularly than some of the other accounts.
Otter-inclusive accounts
* Monterey Bay Aquarium posts more than just otters, but they have some of the best sea otter photos around, and are very active and interactive with social media. Sea Otter Cam
* Oregon Coast Aquarium is also out there and ready to show you the wonders of sea otters in a contemporary online package. Sea Otter Cam
Lastly, there's big news to celebrate this year as CITES added Asian small-clawed otters and smooth-coated otters to the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1, substantially increasing legal protections against otter smuggling for increasingly popular otter cafes.
Previously, sea otters are bouncing back.
* Captain Aty, 15.7k - A newer daily channel, Aty is a very good Asian short-clawed otter who's notable for frequently swimming & surveying rivers across Japan. Very good for seeing an account start from the ground up, and for seeing an otter out swimming in natural water regularly.
This is great. Recommend going for a walk down to the river.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:40 PM on September 22, 2019
This is great. Recommend going for a walk down to the river.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:40 PM on September 22, 2019
An otterly comprehensive post! Thanks, CrystalDave.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 1:47 PM on September 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 1:47 PM on September 22, 2019 [1 favorite]
Otters also feature in Cabin Pressure and, by association, Sherlock.
posted by Fuchsoid at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2019
posted by Fuchsoid at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2019
I am here for DISCOURSE ON THE OTTER.
posted by rmd1023 at 3:39 PM on September 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by rmd1023 at 3:39 PM on September 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
(Recommended alternate title: YOU OTTER READ THIS)
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:01 PM on September 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:01 PM on September 22, 2019 [2 favorites]
I don't want to rain on the general adoration of these beautiful creatures, but devoting YouTube channels to pet otters may not be so harmless - see for example
https://www.inverse.com/article/47105-do-otters-make-good-pets-and-are-they-illegal or https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019082700679/trade-in-small-clawed-otters-popular-as-pets-in-japan-to-be-banned.html
posted by domdib at 4:50 AM on September 23, 2019
https://www.inverse.com/article/47105-do-otters-make-good-pets-and-are-they-illegal or https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019082700679/trade-in-small-clawed-otters-popular-as-pets-in-japan-to-be-banned.html
posted by domdib at 4:50 AM on September 23, 2019
See also Gavin Maxwell's novel A Ring of Bright Water (1960) which, in addition to being a heartwarming story of a man who just wanted a pet otter, is also about colonialism (the otter was Iraqi, he just yoinked it back to Scotland) and the closet (Maxwell was gay and reclusive, and spent a lot of time Ruminating About Nature, which is a thing that gay Englishmen seem to have done a lot, c.f. T.H. White, J.R. Ackerley.)
posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:37 AM on September 23, 2019
posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:37 AM on September 23, 2019
I might as well add another Ottercam(s). Elkhorn Slough Ottercams.
Elkhorn Slough has a large resident population that is surprisingly accessible near Moss Landing, CA. I found it about 12 years ago driving down Highway 1 just north of Moss Landing and was surprised to see that many sea otters in one place, especially so close to people. I regularly recommend it to people if they want to easily see a bunch of wild sea otters.
posted by Badgermann at 6:48 AM on September 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
Elkhorn Slough has a large resident population that is surprisingly accessible near Moss Landing, CA. I found it about 12 years ago driving down Highway 1 just north of Moss Landing and was surprised to see that many sea otters in one place, especially so close to people. I regularly recommend it to people if they want to easily see a bunch of wild sea otters.
posted by Badgermann at 6:48 AM on September 23, 2019 [1 favorite]
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Shedd has recently started advertising a Otter experience; where you can meet them behind the scenes.
All the Otters at Shedd are rescue Otters.
posted by indianbadger1 at 12:18 PM on September 22, 2019 [1 favorite]