Wikipedia:Today's second feature/November 20, 2005
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![North American River Otters, Lontra canadensis](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/LutraCanadensis_fullres.jpg/220px-LutraCanadensis_fullres.jpg)
Otters are aquatic or marine carnivorous mammals, members of the large and diverse family Mustelidae. They have a dense layer of very soft underfur which, protected by their outer layer of long guard hairs, keeps them dry under water and traps a layer of air to keep them warm. Unlike most marine mammals (seals or whales, for example), otters do not have a layer of insulating blubber, and even the marine sea otter must come ashore regularly to wash its coat in fresh water.
Photo credit: Dmitry Azovtsev