Otters prefer to live alongside undisturbed waters, usually freshwater lakes or rivers, although some live along coasts. Prey is held in its forepaws, fish being the main food source but eels are also a favourite in many areas. The diet is supplemented with frogs, small mammals and waterside birds. They are excellent hunters, at home on land and in water. Large lungs aid swimming and when diving they can slow down their heart beats and reduce oxygen consumption.

Until the 1950's otters could be seen throughout most of the UK but since then numbers have dropped rapidly. Now they are hard to see, in fact it is more usual to see an otter's droppings rather than the animal itself. Otters are now protected by law, and attempts are being made to conserve the remaining populations.