I spend a ridiculous amount of time watching otters.
We get them around here pretty regularly. In the marina. Along the river. Occasionally climbing onto a dock or popping their heads out of the water just long enough to make me stop whatever I’m doing and watch.
They never seem to be doing much of anything halfway.
An otter doesn’t politely step out of the water.
He scrambles.
He twists.
He rolls.
He dives.
He climbs onto something, changes his mind, turns around and goes right back into the water.
Sometimes they wrestle. Sometimes they chase each other. Sometimes they slide down things apparently for no better reason than sliding down things is fun.
And not once have I seen one stop, pull out a foam roller and announce:
“I really need to work on my mobility.”
Apparently nobody told the otters
I started looking them up.
Turns out North American river otters really are built for all this nonsense.
They have long, muscular bodies, short legs, webbed feet and powerful tails. In the water, that tail he…
