Water Lovin' Otter Pups Venture Out For 1st Time

One of Edinburgh Zoo's short clawed otter pups ventures out in their enclosure on October 3, 2012 in Edinburgh,Scotland. The five otters are from the smallest otter species in the world and the pups born to mum Elena and Dad Ray are around 10 weeks old now, and are their third litter since arriving at the zoo. A native to Southeast Asia, this particular otter will weigh just 3.5kg when fully grown. These water loving animals are known for their extremely agile, hand-like front paws that are complete with short claws giving these otters their name. Using these dexterous paws they can easily tackle a variety of prey, including crabs, snails, molluscs, small fish and insects. Like other otter species they use their strong rudder-like tail to navigate and propel them through the water.