Otter delight! Moment a playful otter rolls frolics in fresh snow in Minnesota
- The northern river otter was filmed enjoying one of the first snows of winter
- Jennifer Starbright filmed the animal beside Lake Superior in north Minnesota
- The otter came out of the lake to look at the settled snow when a flurry started
- The furry mammal then is filmed excitedly frolicing on the blanketed lakeside
This is the adorable moment that an otter frolics in fresh snow after emerging from Lake Superior.
The footage of the playful animal was captured in Grand Marais, Minnesota on November 27 by Jennifer Starbright.
As Ms Starbright filmed, more snow began to fall, and the otter responded by jumping up and down.
The playful otter was spotted on the side of Lake Superior near Grand Marais, Minnesota
The northern river otter seemed excited by the snow-covered ground before a new flurry started
The otter then gleefully dragged its paws through the snow on the ground.
Ms Starbright said that she watched the animal approach beside the largest of the Great Lakes.
She added that she saw it ‘swimming in from Lake Superior for a few minutes before it came on land.
‘I assumed the otter was enjoying the fact that there was fresh snow.
‘It was one of the first snows in Grand Marais this year’.
The otter then began to excitedly drag its paws through the settled snow in a manic fashion
Ms Starbright said she had seen the otter swimming before it decided to come onto the land
The video was posted on Facebook to the delight of those who viewed it.
One commented: ‘Wait…is the otter doing the moonwalk? What wild entertainment’ in refernece to the backwards dragging that the mammal was doing.
Another said: ‘What a great neighbor! How lucky are you! I’m jealous’.
River otters are known to enjoy playing in the snow, using the slippery conditions to slide around on their bellies.
They are incredibly well adapted to cold temperatures as their fur and frequent feedings in the waterside settings where they can be found mean they have a high body temperature to keep them warm in winter months.
The mercury plunged as low as -7C on November 27 in Grand Marais and it snowed for most of the day, creating the wintery conditions that the otter can be seen enjoying.
Lake Superior is the most northernly of the Great Lakes and runs into Ontario, Canada in the north and Minnesota in its west.
It is the world’s largest freshwater later by surface area, measuring at a massive 31,700 square miles (82,103 square kilometres) and holds around 10 per cent of the world’s fresh water supply.