UMary Allen
Igama elithi "otter" livela kwigama le-Indo-European elithi "abasebenzisi". Ukuguqulelwa kwisiJamani, oku kuthetha "isilwanyana sasemanzini".
iimpawu
Zikhangeleka njani iiotter?
IiOtters zijongwa njengezilwanyana ezitya umhlaba, nangona zikhululekile emhlabeni nasemanzini. Izilwanyana ezizingelayo zezosapho lwe-marten. Njengee<em>martens kunye nee<em>weasel, banomzimba omde, obhityileyo onemilenze emifutshane. Uboya babo buxinene kakhulu: iinwele ezingama-50,000 ukuya kuma-80,000 zinokukhula kwisikwere sesentimitha solusu lweotter.
Uboya obusemva kunye nomsila buntsundu obumnyama. Kukho amabala akhanyayo entanyeni nasemacaleni entloko anokuqala ukusuka kungwevu okhanyayo ukuya kumhlophe. Intloko yeotter ithe tyaba kwaye ibanzi. Amabhovu awomeleleyo, aqinile abizwa ngokuba yi-“vibrissae” ahluma kwimpumlo yawo ebuthuntu. IiOtters zinamehlo amancinci. Iindlebe zabo nazo zincinci kwaye zifihliwe eboyeni, ngoko awukwazi ukuzibona.
Njengento ekhethekileyo, iiotter zinxiba iminwe neenzwane ezinentambo ukuze zikwazi ukudada ngokukhawuleza. IiOtters zinokukhula zibe yi-1.40 yeemitha ubude. Umzimba wakhe umalunga neesentimitha ezingama-90. Ukongeza, kukho umsila, ophakathi kwe-30 kunye ne-50 yeesentimitha ubude. Iiotter zamadoda zinobunzima obufikelela kwishumi elinesibini lekhilo. Iimazi zikhaphukhaphu kancinci kwaye zincinci.
Zihlala phi iiotters?
IiOtters zifumaneka eYurophu (ngaphandle kweIceland), kuMntla Afrika (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia), nakwiindawo ezinkulu zaseAsia. Ngenxa yokuba zihlala kufuphi nemizimba yamanzi kuphela, akukho zi-otters entlango, i-steppes, kunye neentaba eziphakamileyo.
Iindonga zamanzi acocekileyo natyebileyo ngeentlanzi zinika iiotter ezona ndawo zintle zokuhlala. Bafuna indawo engaguqukiyo, yendalo yebhanki eneendawo zokufihla kunye nekhusi. Ngoko xa kukho amatyholo nemithi ngaselunxwemeni, ii<em>otter ziyakwazi ukuhlala ecaleni kwemilambo, imilambo, amachibi, amachibi kwanonxweme lolwandle.
Zeziphi iindidi zeeotter ezikhoyo?
I-otter yase-Eurasia yenye yeentlobo ze-otter ezili-13. Kuzo zonke iintlobo ze-otter, i-otter ihlala kwindawo enkulu yokusabalalisa. Ezinye iintlobo yi Canadian otter, otter yase Chile, Central American otter, South American otter, hairy-nosed otter, spotted-necked otter, soft-furred otter, Asian short-clawed otter, Cape otter, Congo otter, giant otter, i-otter yolwandle.
Ziba neminyaka emingaphi iiotter?
IiOtters zinokuphila ukuya kutsho kwiminyaka engama-22.
Ziphathe
Ziphila njani iiotter?
IiOtters zizilwanyana ezihlala zodwa ezihlala emanzini, oko kukuthi, emhlabeni nasemanzini. Zizingela amaxhoba ikakhulu ebusuku nangokuhlwa. IiOtters zinobuganga bokushiya imingxuma yazo emini ukuba aziphazanyiswanga kwaphela. IiOtters zikhetha imingxuma ekufutshane nomlambo kunye neengcambu zemithi.
Nangona kunjalo, iiotter zisebenzisa iindawo ezininzi ezahlukeneyo zokufihla njengendawo yokulala. Ngokumalunga ne-1000 yeemitha zonke, banendawo yokuhlala, abahlala kuyo ngokungaqhelekanga kwaye batshintshe ngokuphindaphindiweyo. Kuphela ziindawo zokufihla iintloko abazisebenzisayo njengendawo yokulala nanjengenkulisa ezakhiwe ngobuchule.
Iiotter zikwaqinisekisa ukuba zihlala zingaphazamiseki kwaye le mingxuma ayikhukuliswa ngamanzi. Unxweme lwamanzi lubumba ummandla we-otter. I-otter nganye iphawula ummandla wayo ngevumba kunye nenkunkuma. Imimandla inokuba ziikhilomitha ezimbini ukuya kwezingama-50 ubude, kuxhomekeke ekubeni kungakanani ukutya okufunyanwa yiotter emanzini.
Kuba zithanda ukuhlala kufutshane namanzi, imimandla yeotter inabela kuphela malunga neemitha ezili-100 emhlabeni. Ngemizimba yazo ebhityileyo kunye neenyawo ezinentambo, iiotters ziqhelana kakuhle nokuphila emanzini. Ziyakwazi ukuntywila kakuhle kwaye zidade ngaphezu kweekhilomitha ezisixhenxe ngeyure. Iotter inokuhlala phantsi kwamanzi ukuya kutsho kwimizuzu esibhozo. Emva koko kufuneka aye phezulu ukuze afumane umoya.
Ngamanye amaxesha iiotter zintywila kangangeemitha ezingama-300 nobunzulu obuziimitha ezili-18. Xa untywila, impumlo neendlebe ziyavaleka. Ebusika, iiotters zintywila imigama emide phantsi komkhenkce. Kodwa zikwahamba ngokukhawuleza nangokutyibilikayo emhlabeni. Bahlala behamba iikhilomitha ezingama-20. IiOtters ziluka indlela yazo ngokukhawuleza kwingca nakwityholo elingaphantsi. Ukuba bafuna ukubona ushwankathelo, bame ngemilenze yabo yangasemva.
Zizala njani iiotter?
IiOtters zikhulile ngokwesondo emva kweminyaka emibini ukuya kwemithathu yobomi. Abanalo ixesha elimiselweyo lokukhwelana. Ngoko ke, ulutsha lunokuzalwa unyaka wonke.
Emva kokukhwelana, i-otter yemazi ikhulelwe iinyanga ezimbini. Emva koko, udla ngokujula umntwana omnye ukuya kwabathathu, kaninzi ephosa amane okanye amahlanu. I-otter yosana inobunzima obuziigram ezili-100, ekuqaleni ayiboni, kwaye ivula amehlo kuphela emva kwenyanga. Umama wonga abantwana bakhe kangangeenyanga ezintandathu, nangona abantwana sele besitya ukutya okuqinileyo emva kweeveki ezintandathu. Baphuma kwesi sakhiwo okokuqala emva kweenyanga ezimbini. Ngamanye amaxesha iiotter ezincinci zoyika kakhulu amanzi. Emva koko unina kufuneka abambe amantshontsho akhe entanyeni aze awantywilisele emanzini.
Zizingela njani iiotter?
IiOtters zisebenzisa amehlo azo ukuziqhelanisa nazo. Kumanzi amdaka, zisebenzisa amabhovu azo ukulandelela amaxhoba azo. Ngezi nwele, ezifikelela kwi-intshi ezimbini ubude, iiotter zinokuziva iintshukumo zexhoba. Amadevu asebenza njengelungu elibambekayo.
Iintlanzi ezincinci zidla i-otters ngokukhawuleza. Izilwanyana ezizixhoba ezinkulu ziqale zisiwe kwindawo ekhuselekileyo yebhanki. Kuphela kulapho ezitya khona ngokubetha ngamandla, zibambe ixhoba phakathi kwamathupha azo angaphambili. IiOtters zidla ngokuhlasela iintlanzi ukusuka ezantsi kumzimba wamanzi kuba iintlanzi zinenkathazo yokujonga phantsi. Iintlanzi zidla ngokubalekela elunxwemeni ukuze zizifihle apho. Ngenxa yoku, iiotters maxa wambi ziphekuza imisila yazo ukuze zihambise iintlanzi kwimijelo apho zinokuzingela lula khona.