Did you know, otter pups communicate with their mothers through a series of whistling and murmuring noises, with the occasional low pitched rumble, almost a grunt. The similarity to modern human offspring is scarily relatable. Divergent evolution????
This fella was filmed in the early morning sun on the river Tay in Scotland where there is quite a healthy population.
If you are lucky, you can spot family groups running and playing on the riverbank. The pups stay with the mother for their first year and they are a very sociable animal.
They can grow larger than you may originally suspect, sometimes reaching lengths of 1.5 mtrs from nose to tail.
"Otty"
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"Whiskers"
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Weasel
(Mustela nivalis)
The Weasel is the smallest British carnivore, (rodents, such as rats, mice etc. are meat eaters, they also have an omnivorous diet). It is smaller than the Stoat, with a brown blush spot on each side of its throat. The stoat also has a darker/black tip to its tail which is generally longer.
The true name for this animal is the "Least Weasel," Probably derived from the fact that it is the smallest true carnivore.
Some Weasels moult to a pure white coat in winter, another of natures camouflage adaptations.
Although they are fierce hunters, this little fella, (And i'm making an assumption on the sex due to lack of knowledge), popped up through the snow one day and seemed to be oblivious to the human group only a short distance away and immediately began scurrying and sliding in the snow as though it was having the best time. I'm not sure if it was hunting something under the snow, then lost it and decided it would just play for a while. Whatever it was thinking, it was another one of those small nature moments, the kind that just stops everything for the briefest of moments and makes you feel good.
"Chilling"
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"Pop"
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"Wheee!"
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"Nothing to see here!"
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