What kind of animal are otters? Kuya Kim answers

A restaurant owner in Palawan took to social media to share a video of two otters he recorded wandering in the mangroves of their province.

According to Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," Tuesday, the otters were Asian small-clawed otters.

"Kulay gray at kasing laki ng pusa pero mas may hawig siya sa daga," said Jimboy Mendoza, the uploader.

Despite similarities in their appearance, otters are not rats, nor are they cats. Instead, otters are included in the Mustelidae family that includes badgers and wolverines.

There are 13 species of otters found worldwide except in Australia and Antarctica, and these animals have the thickest fur of all mammals, which they use for insulation and also to float in water.

Although they are not fish or amphibians, sea otters can last underwater for five minutes, while river otters can last for up to eight minutes!

The ones that Jimboy saw are indigenous to the island of Palawan.

"Mas marami po 'yung group po ng otters na mas pinipili po na maging cryptic. Once na naka-sense po sila ng mga tao, mas pipiliin po nila na unang lumayo kesa po na magkaroon po ng encounters," said Eugene Venturillo, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Project Development Officer.

According to him, the Asian small-clawed otter po is listed under the vulnerable category under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Venturillo gave advice to the public on what to do should they encounter otters.

"During instances po na may ma-encounter po tayo na mga dungon sa wild, maintain 'yung distance. Kasi they are also wild animals. We should not do actions po na maaari po na ma-perceive ng animal na threat po sa kanila," he said.

Giant river otters, or river wolves, are the biggest otters on earth. They are endemic to South Africa and can reach up to six feet long.

—Carby Basina/MGP, GMA Integrated News