Otter, sea otter, sea otter ... At first glance, they all look alike and are difficult to distinguish. They have two things in common. They all have cute looks and they are all endangered species.

First, the otter is an animal that lives in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes, in Europe, North Africa, and Asia. Otters belong to the Mustelidae family and have a smooth, streamlined body that is well-suited for living in water. Their body shape allows them to swim and rotate quickly in water, making them the apex predator in rivers. The outer fur and underfur that cover the otter's entire body help keep it warm even in the cold winter. The density of otter fur is also among the highest of animals.

The otter is an endangered species classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the Red List of endangered species designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Although its extinction risk is low, in Korea, it is said to be an animal designated as a Level 1 endangered wild animal and a natural monument. The otter living in the river is one of the reasons for the otter's extinction when it comes out and moves around and is involved in traffic accidents around the river. Another reason for extinction is hunting. People have been indiscriminately hunting otters to use their dense fur to make clothing such as hats and scarves.

The sea otter, whose belly is often seen floating on the sea, is also famous as a character in the anime "Bono Bono". As the name suggests, sea otters are animals that live in the sea. They are of the same family as the otter, Mustelidae, but are longer in body and shorter in tail than the otter. While the otter has a slender body that is good for swimming in narrow rivers, the sea otter is short and round because it lives in the vast Pacific Ocean. Like the otter, the sea otter uses fur to maintain its body temperature. That is why they are exposed to hunting danger like the otter.

The sea otter is also an endangered species. The sea otter is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of endangered species. It is a higher level of endangered species than the otter. Like the otter, it is said that the main reason for its extinction is being hunted by poachers who want to get fur. Fortunately, the international community is aware of the seriousness of the illegal sea otter poaching problem and international protection is underway.

Many people think that the sea otter is the same species as the sea otter because of the name. However, the sea otter and the sea otter are clearly different species. As the name suggests, the sea otter is an animal that lives in the sea, and it lives mainly on the coast of South America. The habitat is similar to the sea otter, but the appearance is more similar to the otter. The long tail looks similar to the otter, but it looks a little thicker than the otter. While the otter is nocturnal, the sea otter is diurnal.

The sea otter is also an endangered species. The sea otter is an Endangered (EN) species. It also suffers from marine pollution due to wastewater from cities, and because it lives on the coast, it often collides with humans. The sea otter mainly eats crustaceans like crabs and shrimp, so people sometimes kill them because they think they are hindering fishing. They are also damaged by oil spills from ships.

The otter, sea otter, and sea otter are loved for their cute looks, but they are actually being targeted for human hunting or are becoming the object of conflict with humans. I hope that as humans want to protect their own habitat, they will protect the habitat of animals, and as they want to maintain their livelihood, they will protect the food of animals.