Eurasian Otter, a Natural Monument of Korea and an Internationally Endangered Species

Endangered Wildlife Grade 1 and Natural Monument No. 330, the Eurasian otter boasts a sleek, streamlined body and lives in the DMZ and the neighboring streams with clear water.

The Euraisan otters' fur have double linings, giving them excellent waterproof and heat-retaining functions. The density of otter fur is about 50,000 hairs per square centimeter, making it one of the densest animals on the planet.

Since a human has on average about 100,000 hairs in total, one can imagine how dense the otter's fur must be in comparison.

It mainly feeds on fish and hunts for food at night. Its whiskers are so sensitive that they can detect vibrations in the water from fishes' slightest movement.

It has webbed feet. However, because of its weak claws, it cannot dig their own burrows and can only use naturally formed burrows as nests. They are known to make several entrances leading to the water so that they can easily escape into the water if needed. 

Although their areas of activity are spread around rivers that are distributed througouht the country, their acutal habitat densitiy is quite low. This is because they can only live in clean and healthy rivers. 

Therefore, these otters serve as an indcitor species that help evaluate the health of the aquatic environment.