Scientists learn how otters stay hotter
Washington (AFP) - Sea otters are a hardy lot. The smallest of all marine mammals with the thickest fur of the animal kingdom, they can hold their breath for up to eight minutes while they dive for prey like clams and crabs, which they're known to crack open using rocks. An enduring mystery, however, was just how the mustelids manage to stay warm in the chilly waters of their Pacific habitat, bereft of the blubber that insulates seals, whales and walruses. The answer, according to a new paper published in the journal Science on Thursday, is a unique energy conversion system whereby their muscl...