Otter

While at the otter exhibit you can share the following information with those with you. The student worksheets have blanks for them to fill in. The answers are the BOLD words in the following statements. This is also a great place for a bathroom stop!

1. There are 13 SPECIES of otter, ranging from the SMALL-CLAWED otter to the GIANT otter.

2. Otters don't have blubber to keep them warm, so to accomplish that they have the DENSEST fur of any animal—as many as a MILLION hairs per square inch in places.

3. Sea otters have to spend a large portion of their days GROOMING and CONDITIONING their fur. That's because this traps AIR in their fur next to their skin which help warm them up.

4. When it’s time to nap, SEA otters ENTANGLE themselves in kelp so they don’t FLOAT AWAY. They'll also sometimes HOOK their feet with another sea otter, so that they stay together.

5. Approximately 90 PERCENT of the world’s sea otters live in coastal ALASKA.

6. Sea otters eat 25 PERCENT of their body weight in food every day. To find food, sea otters may occasionally dive as deep as 250 FEET.

7. SEA otters have been known to stay submerged for more than 5 MINUTES at a time. RIVER otters, however, can hold their breath for up to 8 MINUTES.

BONUS TALKING POINT:
LOOK FOR THE SIGN BY THE OTTER EXHIBIT THAT SAYS:

"LOOK CLOSELY ... CAN YOU SEE HOW AN OTTER IS PERFECTLY ADAPTED TO ITS WATERY HABITAT?"

THIS GIVES A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "ADAPTATION" AND "EVOLUTION" IN THE MOLECULES TO MAN SENSE. WE KNOW THAT ADAPTATION IS A FACT, IT HAPPENS. AND IT'S NOT A PROBLEM FOR THE BIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIAN. WE'D SAY THAT GOD CREATED CREATURES WITH THE ABILITY TO ADAPT TO A FALLEN WORLD. THESE CHANGES ALWAY OCCUR WITHIN A GIVEN KIND.
THIS MEANS THAT DOGS CAN AND DO CHANGE INTO VARIOUS SPECIES OF DOGS AND CATS CHANGE INTO VARIOUS SPECIES OF CATS ETC.
BY THE WAY, THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SHOWS JUST THAT. EVEN THOSE WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD WOULD TEACH THAT ALL OF DOGS WE SEE TODAY GO BACK TO TWO ORIGINAL DOGS.
I'LL NEVER FORGET LEADING A TOUR THROUGH THE LONDON MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND FINDING AN EXHIBIT SHOWING VARIOUS SPECIES OF DOGS AND THE SIGN READ, "ALL 35 SPECIES OF DOGS WE SEE TODAY GO BACK TO TWO DOGS."
AMEN, THAT'S WHAT THE BIBLE SAID!! 11 TIMES IN GENESIS WHEN GOD SPEAKS OF CREATION HE SAYS THAT HE CREATED AFTER THEIR KIND. THIS IS JUST A REARRANGEMENT OF EXISTING INFORMATION OR POSSIBLY EVEN LOSING INFORMATION.
EVOLUTION ON THE OTHER HAND REQUIRES NEW GENETIC INFORMATION TO BE GENERATED FOR SOMETHING LIKE A WORM TO GROW LEGS. THIS JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN AND HAS NEVER BEEN OBSERVED.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT ADAPTATION IS NOT EVOLUTION. THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT PROCESSES EVEN THOUGH MANY WILL TRY TO USE ONE TO SUPPOSEDLY PROVE THE OTHER.

AS A CHRISTIAN WE CAN AGREE WITH THAT SIGN COMPLETELY BY CHANGING ONE WORD. TAKE A LOOK:

"LOOK CLOSELY ... CAN YOU SEE HOW AN OTTER IS PERFECTLY DESIGNED TO ITS WATERY HABITAT?"

AMEN! GOD CREATED WITH AMAZING DESIGN.

GO TO THE SMALL MAMMALS BUILDING NEXT.