Bing Otter Quiz: 20 Questions About the World’s Otters
Sea otters with a favorite rock, giant otters that hunt like a wolf pack, a tiny otter that lives on Palawan — test what you know about all of them. Tap a pebble, answer the question, and learn the fact behind every answer.
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Otters are known for juggling pebbles, so here every question is a pebble. Tap any pebble to open its question, in any order you like. Green means you got it right; coral means you missed it. Answer all 20 to see your result and a full review.
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What Is the Bing Otter Quiz?
Otters show up on the Bing homepage every so often, usually floating on their backs in a photo that makes everyone stop scrolling. People then go looking for a quiz about them, and this is ours.
The Bing Otter Quiz on Bing Quizzes is an independent, 20-question wildlife quiz. It covers the whole otter family, not just the famous sea otter: how otters stay warm, what they eat, how they raise their young, where the 13 species live and why several of them are in trouble. Every question comes with a short explanation, and the facts are checked against sources such as Britannica, the U.S. National Park Service and the IUCN Otter Specialist Group.
Please note: Bing Quizzes is not affiliated with Microsoft or Bing, and this quiz does not earn Microsoft Rewards points. For the official daily quiz, visit bing.com. If you want a daily challenge on our site, try today's Bing Homepage Quiz, which has a new topic every day.
The 13 Otter Species at a Glance
All otters belong to the weasel family, Mustelidae, where they form the subfamily Lutrinae. Most authorities recognize 13 species in seven genera. Here is where each one lives.
| Species | Where it lives |
|---|---|
| Sea otter Enhydra lutris | Coasts of the North Pacific, from Japan and Russia to Alaska and California |
| Marine otter Lontra felina | Rocky Pacific shores of Peru and Chile |
| North American river otter Lontra canadensis | Rivers, lakes and coasts across much of Canada and the United States |
| Neotropical otter Lontra longicaudis | Mexico through Central America to northern Argentina |
| Southern river otter Lontra provocax | Southern Chile and Argentina |
| Giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis | Rivers and wetlands of South America, including the Amazon and Pantanal |
| Eurasian otter Lutra lutra | Europe, much of Asia and parts of North Africa |
| Hairy-nosed otter Lutra sumatrana | Scattered wetlands in Southeast Asia |
| Asian small-clawed otter Aonyx cinereus | South and Southeast Asia, including Palawan in the Philippines |
| African clawless otter Aonyx capensis | Much of sub-Saharan Africa |
| Congo clawless otter Aonyx congicus | Rainforests of Central Africa |
| Speckle-throated otter Hydrictis maculicollis | Lakes and rivers of sub-Saharan Africa |
| Smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata | South and Southeast Asia, with a small population in Iraq |
Two of these, the sea otter and the marine otter, live mainly in the ocean. The rest are freshwater or coastal animals that spend part of their time on land, resting and raising young in dens along the bank.
How Otters Stay Warm Without Blubber
Whales and seals keep warm with thick layers of fat. Sea otters live in some of the same cold water with almost none, so they rely on two other tricks.
~1 million
hairs per square inch of sea otter skin, the densest fur of any animal. The fur traps a layer of air that keeps cold water away from the skin.
~25%
of its body weight in food each day. A fast metabolism works like an internal furnace, and it needs constant fuel.
Hours
of grooming every day. If the fur gets dirty or matted, it stops trapping air, which is why oil spills are so deadly to otters.
Sea otters are also clever eaters. They carry food in a loose pouch of skin under each forelimb, float on their backs, and crack shells against a rock balanced on their chest. Some keep the same rock for many dives, which puts them among the few mammals outside the primates known to use tools.
Why Sea Otters Matter to Kelp Forests
Sea otters are a textbook keystone species: an animal whose effect on its habitat is far bigger than its numbers suggest. The chain works like this:
Otters eat urchinsSea urchins are one of their favorite foods.
Urchins eat kelpLeft unchecked, urchins can strip a kelp forest bare.
Kelp shelters lifeHealthy kelp forests feed and hide fish, abalone and many other species.
Where sea otters disappeared, urchin numbers often exploded and kelp forests shrank. Where otters returned, kelp often recovered. That is why scientists watch sea otter numbers closely as a sign of coastal ecosystem health.
Otter Words Worth Knowing
Several of these show up in the quiz, and they make good trivia on their own.
RaftA group of otters resting together in the water. Sea otters often anchor themselves in kelp so they don't drift while they sleep.
RompA popular name for a group of otters on land, especially when they're playing.
HoltAn otter's den, traditionally used in Britain, often hidden among tree roots on a riverbank.
SpraintOtter droppings, left on rocks and logs as scent markers. Surveyors use spraint to tell whether otters live nearby.
VibrissaeThe sensitive whiskers that pick up vibrations from prey in dark or murky water.
PupA baby otter. Young river otters are also called kits.
Threats and Conservation
Otters are charming, but they are not doing well everywhere. According to Britannica, about half of all otter species are threatened, and the sea otter, giant otter, marine otter, southern river otter and hairy-nosed otter are among those listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
The sea otter's story shows how fast things can go wrong. Between 1741 and 1911, commercial hunting for their luxurious pelts, sometimes called the Great Hunt, cut the world population to perhaps 1,000 animals. Protection and reintroduction programs have brought sea otters back to parts of their old range, though threats such as disease, oil spills and fishing gear remain.
Closer to home for many of our readers, the Asian small-clawed otter of Palawan faces habitat loss and the illegal pet trade. A cute otter video can make people want one as a pet, but otters are wild animals, and buying them fuels trapping. The kindest way to enjoy otters is to watch them in the wild or at accredited sanctuaries.
Tips for a Higher Score
- Separate sea otters from river otters. Many questions hinge on which kind of otter they're about. Ocean, kelp and urchins point to sea otters; dens, riverbanks and spraint point to river otters.
- Remember the extremes. The smallest otter lives in Asia, the longest in South America, and the heaviest in the North Pacific.
- Think about cold water. If a question is about staying warm, the answer usually involves fur, air or metabolism, not fat.
- Use the word clues. Glossary words like holt, raft and spraint are easy points once you know them.
- Read every explanation. Replay with shuffled answers after a day or two; recalling a fact again is what makes it stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Bing Otter Quiz from Microsoft?
No. This is an independent quiz written for BingQuizzes.com. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by Microsoft or Bing, and it does not earn Microsoft Rewards points.
How many questions are in the Bing Otter Quiz?
There are 20 multiple-choice questions, each with four answer choices. You can answer them in any order by tapping the pebbles on the board.
Is there a time limit?
No. This quiz has no timer, so you can take your time and read each explanation.
Can I replay the quiz?
Yes. When you finish, choose "Play again with shuffled answers" to start over with the answer choices in a new order.
How many species of otter are there?
Most authorities recognize 13 otter species, all in the subfamily Lutrinae of the weasel family, Mustelidae.
What is the difference between a sea otter and a river otter?
Sea otters live almost entirely in the ocean, eat, sleep and give birth at sea, and rely on extremely dense fur rather than fat to stay warm. River otters live in rivers, lakes and coastal waters, spend more time on land and raise their young in dens along the bank.
Where do the quiz facts come from?
Each answer is checked against reliable references, including Britannica, the U.S. National Park Service, the Seattle Aquarium and the IUCN Otter Specialist Group. The full list is in the Sources section below.
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Sources and Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Otter: Conservation and classification." britannica.com
- U.S. National Park Service, Channel Islands National Park, "Sea Otter." nps.gov
- Seattle Aquarium, "The densest fur of any animal on Earth: all about sea otters." seattleaquarium.org
- IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group, "Otter Species." otterspecialistgroup.org
- SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, "Giant River Otter." seaworld.org
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