otter

17 Stories

Otter Drags Child From Dock, Into Water in Washington

Mom was able to pull the youngster to safety

(Newser) - A walk down the dock at the Bremerton Marina in Washington state turned terrifying for a mother and child Thursday morning when a river otter appeared and dragged the child into the water. Otter and child went under, then resurfaced, at which point the woman was able to pull her...

Man Says He Thought He Would Die in Otter Attack

He was bitten at least a dozen times while swimming in northern California lake

(Newser) - California man Matt Leffers says it was "by far the most terrifying experience" of his life —and it happened in waters he's been swimming in for 30 years.The 69-year-old San Francisco resident tells USA Today that he was attacked by a pair of aggressive otters while...

Rabid Otter Bites Florida Man 41 Times
Florida Man
Bitten 41 Times
by Rabid Otter
in case you missed it
Oct 1, 2023 4:00 PM CDT

Florida Man Bitten 41 Times by Rabid Otter

Otter also attacked dog before being captured

(Newser) - A Florida man was feeding ducks and geese at a pond near his yard when suddenly all the birds flew away. Joseph Scaglione was confused, seeing no hawk in the area, but then he noticed an otter in the pond. He backed away toward the gate to his yard, but...

Orcas Killed Its Mother. Rescuers Were on Hand

Newborn otter rescued from the waters off Homer, Alaska

(Newser) - An otter pup may have some well-placed wildlife response members to thank for its survival. CBS News reports Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) lab tech Natalie Hunter was fishing with friends who also have wildlife response backgrounds on Sept. 9 when they saw a "commotion" in the water near Homer:...

3 Women Injured in Montana Otter Attack

One of them had to be airlifted to the hospital

(Newser) - One of three women hurt in a river otter attack in southern Montana was injured so badly that she had to be taken to a hospital by helicopter, authorities say. The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks says the women were floating in inner tubes on the Jefferson River...

Not the Loch Ness Monster in Detroit, but Something Else Amazing

What may be first river otter seen in 100 years in Detroit River shows water pollution is decreasing

(Newser) - "As a PhD student in marine ecology, Eric Ste Marie knew what he saw was rare." That sighting in the Detroit River last month, as described by WXYZ , is now making headlines, and it may be the first of its kind in a century. Ste Marie, a 27-year-old...

Parkgoer Says He Was Nearly Killed in Otter Attack

Graham George Spencer says he sustained 26 bites in just seconds

(Newser) - A British man saw a pack of about 20 otters on a nearby path in the Singapore Botanic Gardens in late November. What happened next nearly killed him. Graham George Spencer says the group "went crazy" after a runner using the same path as the animals approached them. He...

Otters Are On the Attack in This City

Woman, boy bitten in Anchorage, Alaska; officials aren't sure why the rare attacks are taking place

(Newser) - The Anchorage Press has lifted its paywall on a recent story to deliver a very important message to locals: "Beware of aggressive river otters." Friday's warning from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game came after a woman, a child, and at least two dogs were attacked...

Mom Wrestles Otter That Attacked Her Teen

Florida teen is doing OK after some rabies shots

(Newser) - Otters may look cute and cuddly, but should you encounter one, you'll want to give it a wide berth. "If you see one up close, they are so beautiful. But they are vicious. Don’t mess with an otter. I’d rather barehand catch a bobcat probably than...

'Aggressive' Otter Injures 3 in Florida

'The scariest part was that it didn’t let go'

(Newser) - Otters aren't the first animal to come to mind when most people think of dangerous Florida wildlife—but a run-in with an aggressive and probably rabid one left a woman temporarily unable to walk. Maitland resident Ann-Christine Langselius tells Fox News that she was walking her Goldendoodle on a...

Kayaker on Otter Attack: 'It Didn't Want to Come Off'

Sue Spector needed stitches after tussle in Florida

(Newser) - Sue Spector thought the sighting of an otter would cap off her "pristine" Sunday morning spent kayaking on Florida's Braden River. The guide leading her group had said to keep an eye out for the swimmers, per the Bradenton Herald . But when one came into view, its reaction...

It Was a Wolf-Sized Otter, but With Jaws Like a Bear

Modern otters wouldn't stand a chance against Siamogale melilutra

(Newser) - Modern-day sea otters would prove no match for their 6-million-year-old, wolf-sized ancestors , who didn't need rocks to smash open mollusks. They could do that, and perhaps rip into tougher and larger prey, with a single bite from surprisingly powerful jaws, according to new research. In the latest study of...

Giant Prehistoric Otter Found—but Why So Big?
Giant Prehistoric Otter
Found—but Why So Big?
new study
Jan 24, 2017 2:40 PM CST

Giant Prehistoric Otter Found—but Why So Big?

The size of a wolf, the bite of a badger

(Newser) - Picture an otter, then envision it ballooning to twice—or triple, or quadruple—its size until it's a 110-pound creature: It's not a journey into the imagination, but to yesteryear. An international team of scientists has announced news of the largest otter ever found, one that lived some...

Zoo Otter Dies in 'Unauthorized' Pants

It's just the latest deadly mishap at Canadian zoo

(Newser) - If zookeepers were in any doubt, now they know: Otters should not be given pants. Authorities at Calgary Zoo have determined that the death of a 12-year-old North American river otter last week was caused by a pair of pants given to him as what they call an "unauthorized...

Shark Kills Famous Sea Otter
 Shark Kills Famous Sea Otter 
Mar 27, 2015 2:06 AM CDT

Shark Kills Famous Sea Otter

Olive survived oil soaking to have healthy pup

(Newser) - A sea otter that became an ambassador for her species after a remarkable recovery from an oil tar soaking off the coast of Northern California has been killed by a shark. "Olive the Oiled Otter" made headlines in 2009 when she was found covered in oil and near death...

Otter Killed After Attack on Boy, Grandma

Aggressive otter had no fear of humans, officials say

(Newser) - Swimmers are now free to go back in the Seattle-area Pilchuck River without worrying unduly about being attacked by crazed otters, authorities say. Wildlife officials say they tracked, shot, and killed a large, aggressive male otter just yards from where an 8-year-old boy and his grandmother were badly injured in...

Triathlete Attacked by Crazed ... Otter

Minnesota woman bitten 25 times

(Newser) - Triathletes face some serious challenges—but bloodthirsty otters aren't usually among them. While preparing for her second Ironman Triathlon, a Minnesota woman was attacked by just such a creature, which bit her 25 times before she was rescued. Leah Prudhomme was in the midst of a half-mile swim in...

17 Stories