Detail

Korea Post has been issuing special stamps in series to raise awareness of endangered wildlife. This year`s set introduces the otter. The otter population has plummeted in the region due to excessive hunting for fur and loss of habitat caused by river development projects. As a result, the otter was designated in 1982 for protection as Natural Monument No. 330 and in 2012 as Class I Endangered Wildlife. The otter has a round, flat head, a round nose, and small eyes. The ears are small and are covered in skin and fur, and the teeth are sharp and strong. The otter has a long, slender body with short limbs, and is covered in short, thick fur. Accounting for almost two-thirds of its body length, the tail is long and round, and tapers to a point. The otter`s fur is thick and glossy, and it is mainly brown above, cream below, and white under the chin. Having evolved for survival in aquatic habitats, the otter has a streamlined body and webbed feet. Its ears and nose close when in the water, and the whiskers near the mouth are sensitive enough to detect the movement of nearby fish. The otters diet mainly consists of fish, including catfish, snakeheads, and mudfish, and they sometimes eat crustaceans, rodents, birds, amphibians, insects, and even bird eggs. The otter consumes 750 to 1,500 grams of food a day. It eats small fish in the water but drags big ones out of the water before eating them. The otter lives in dens under tree roots. It is normally solitary, and is generally nocturnal. Mating takes place in January and February, and gestation is about 63 days, after which two to three pups are born. An intelligent creature with well-developed sensory organs, the otter can see and hear well, smell to locate food, and even detect a predators attack quickly.