However, in captivity, they can live for up to twice as long. They primarily eat marine mammals including seals, sea lions, walruses, baleen whales, other toothed whales, and occasionally sea otters. Despite popular belief, otters don’t feed on berries and plants. What do otters eat? Diet. Asian small-clawed otters use their forepaws rather than their mouth to locate and capture food items. The two breeds have different diets, where Asian small-clawed eat shellfish and crabs while smooth-coated otters prey on fish. As is the case with many species, Eurasian otters tend to live longer in captivity than in the wild. The otters also ranged in age between three months and 19 years old. River otters eat mostly frogs, crabs, crayfish, fish and mollusks. Sea otters eat about 20-30% of their body weight each day. In the wild, they mostly eat fish, while sea-dwelling otters use stones to break open mollusks. As for its life expectancy, the otter can live for up to between eight and fifteen years in the wild. In captivity, that number increases slightly to the late teens. River otters eat a variety of aquatic wildlife, such as fish, crayfish, crabs, frogs, birds’ eggs, birds and reptiles such as turtles. Small-Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinereus) DIET In the Wild High metabolic rate, rapid digestion, 40-60% time in wild spent foraging/feeding In wild eat 20% of body weight per day in meals of ~500g In wild eat wide variety of food, majoring on crustaceans and molluscs Recommended Diet 20% freshwater fish, preferably fresh not frozen For the most part, they eat fish, and, for that reason, we can call them carnivores. However, some otter … Incomplete webbing between the toes gives them a great deal of manual dexterity. Otters are accustomed to preying on live animals; hunting is an integral part of an otter’s life. The transient ecotype in the eastern North Pacific hunt marine mammals including sea otters. Otters will mainly feed on fish (40-90% of their diet)and will take a variety of species depending on the time of year, species such as carp, stickleback and eels. Specifically they feed on mostly catfish, perch and characins but also eat small snakes, caimans and crustaceans. Otter live to around 12 years old in the wild, and longer in captivity. Diet. Otters in captivity are often seen juggling like this. To sustain a captive population of Asian small-clawed otters, the nutritional needs of the species must be met. So, a 50-pound otter would need to eat about 10-15 pounds of food per day. Sea otters have a high metabolic rate (that is, they use a high amount of energy) that is 2-3 times that of other mammals their size. 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