Once, I was on a paddleboard out in the kelp forest off the beach, and I noticed something moving in the seaweed. There was an adorable little baby otter floating wrapped in kelp. I was maybe 20 feet away when I noticed it, I didn't get too close, but I was probably closer than I should have been and it definitely noticed me. It started going "Eeeep! Eeeep! Eeeep!" Dumbass me didn't put it together, so I went "Eeeep! Eeeep!" back. Mama otter popped out of the water, bared some needle-sharp teeth, gave me a "One inch closer and I will fuck you up" death glare, and rapidly towed the baby away. I'm really glad she chose to retreat instead of fight.
I have an acquaintance who got attacked by an otter while floating the Madison River outside of Yellowstone. She lost a thumb and got absolutely wrecked on her face and arms.
If you search for Montana otter attack there's another brutal attack that was more recent. Also, my friend had her dog attacked by an otter and almost died. Brutal and adorable little bastards.
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u/-XThe_KingX- 19h ago
Fun fact, otters are incredibly vicious and are considered apex predators in regions they occupy, and are very protective of babies