And while you were being distracted, there was another otter stealing your car keys.

He must be like "W-otter you doing standing around!? Play with me!"

The otter is clearly not threatened or upset. As with the vast amount of animals in our world most will warn you if you are upsetting them or scaring them, this otter clearly was being mischievous and playful. He turned away from them many times, laid there and never hissed in anger or latched onto the lady.

Oh my god that is AWESOME! He's doing the Weasel War Dance! This is an invitation to play that ferrets, polecats, weasels and stoats all use, sometimes as a hunting trick but usually to play or to just to show they are happy. I know that Otters are mustelid cousins to the above, but I've never seen them do the dance. Even if he did bite you, it was in play. Wild mustelids don't know to bite humans softer when playing with them so it was good you didn't go trying to tickle him or anything. He wouldn't mean to hurt you, but could take a finger or two by accident. I bet he has been fed by/played with other humans before. But what a cool experience, glad you got to film that!

Trust me when an animal is threatening you know it and it sure as hell doesn't turn its back on you or roll over exposing its belly.

Thank you for being kind, sensible and calm with him. I am sure he wanted to play. You are good people for recognising this and not forgetting that he is wild. And so cute!

Anyone who's had ferrets will easily recognize this otter's behavior, from the bouncy "war dance" to the insatiable inquisitiveness; since otters are fellow members of the weasel family that's not surprising. I noticed the woman get nervous when the otter apparently nipped her; it's VERY important to understand that this is play behavior and not aggression. I've seen people panic or react badly when a ferret surprised them by nipping them, which is actually an invitation to play; they love to roughhouse and are great fun (with certain caveats, such as having them around young children or other strangers who might accidentally hurt them with a sudden reaction). HOWEVER, as much as I admit I would love to see an otter up this close and be able to interact with it, you need to remember that A) this is still a wild animal and B) its bite is FAR stronger than a ferret's (they're able to penetrate steel-toed boots). In short, the lady did well not to panic or lash out in an involuntary reaction when this otter nipped at her, but even though it was clearly just playing the situation was potentially still dangerous. And when accidents or tragedies occur, the animal almost always ends up on the worse end of the bargain, often due to people being ignorant or careless.

He actually looks more like he's doing a Ferret/Weasel War Dance. He's hopping and "attacking" to play and draw them in to chasing him. VERY ferret like. He's just bigger and bulkier, that's what makes him look a little "doggish".

Otters are so adorable.

Too bad she didn't have some fish to give him. Only thing that worries me is that he lives so close to the highway, I hope that he doesn't go out there and get hit by a car.

Dear lady in the video I think your laugh may have been even cuter than the otter. And thats coming from an avid otter lover. Hope you have had many more lovely walks.

He's attracted to the high pitch range of the nice ladies laugh. Sign of playfulness in the pitch for otters. What a darling video.

So cute! Little otter wants to play!💕

"Otter plays like an otter." So smart, curious, busy & energetic. I 💓💓 otters!

They are adorable but my veterinarian warned me that they can go from cute to tearing your fingers off in an instant. Love, respect and beware the wild

Every comment on this video: "umm im like an expert on animals and u just killd that bird"

otters ferrets badgers skunks weasels they're all related and do the same stuff. I have two ferrets and this is how they play. He couldn't deny his curiosity then got excited. but unless they're trained they bite hard when they play cause they have rougher skin its just how theyre used to communicating. hes fucking cute. awesome.

Its official. Otters are my favourite ever!

When I was about Ten years old, I was in Grand Marais Minnesota with my family. I threw a fit because I didn't want any of the food at a fancy restaurant my mom brought our family too, so she kicked me out of the restaurant to fend for myself for a couple hours! The restaurant was located next to a dock on Lake Superior, I was feeling bad about my situation cursing my mom while I was walking up and down the dock. All of a sudden, a river otter came out of nowhere and hung out with me the whole time my family was eating in the restaurant. It's almost like he was trying to cheer me up! I'll never forget my little furry buddy as long as I live.

I gotta agree that if this otter were trying to drive the people away, he would've been successful. Yes, otters are related to ferrets... but they're also related to wolverines and badgers. They're tremendously strong for their size.

Wild Otters and Ferrets are known to be instinctively curiously playful with Humans and domesticated pets. They don't have to have been someone's pet or have been routinely fed by Humans to wanna play; it is in their nature. They are playful, yet wild, so they might accidentally use to much teeth in their play-biting, only because they haven't had time to learn how to play gently like dogs. They are much like rambunctious toddlers who haven't learned how to "play nice." Don't get me wrong, they are not all this cute. Some are super aggressive and territorial and absolutely will bite the shit outta you, but if they come up to you and want to play, it's because they just want some genuine Human interaction playtime. Always be careful. But super adorable.

Otters are the cutest animals ever, but dont fuck with them. they are wild & fierce

thats not aggressive or fearful behavior, thats play. an aggressive or scared animal does not turn its back on you or run back and forth to you. they either bolt and keep running to escape or do not stop watching you and try to scare you off by making an angry noise, fake charging or biting and backing off. this otter has most likely been fed by several people that saw it on the road and lost its natural fear of humans.

Someone has fed him at this location. He is used to food and thought you might have some too. I still loved the video

What an adorable little creature the only worry is that not all humans are nice like you guys and if he comes in to contact with them it could potentially lead to the injury or even more distressing the death of this beautiful and playful little creature .

Go home otter, you're drunk.

Otter: Who the hell are you guys?

That was ridiculously adorable!

I am a snake in the grassssssss, fear me!

Otters are known for being playful creatures

Otters are mustelids, and this is how they play. They play bite as well.. However an otter play bite and a ferret play bite are probably two different ball games. He's being a goof, like others said he'd never show his stomach and he'd hiss and back up straight if he felt threatened.

What a cute little water puppy.

proof that trolling is part of nature XD

my goal is to make a sea chariot of otters and rule the high seas with cuteness

all of a sudden i love otters.

bless absolutely adorable I love him to bits❤️❤️❤️

How adorable!

10 years later and this is still one of the cutest videos on the internet.

What an absolutely beautiful animal!

I wouldn't have had him get so close to the street.

I saw a video once of an otter in Brazil wanting to play with somebody, but this one was a Brazilian Giant around 6ft long, 150lbs! It jumped right up on the guy trying to film it and wanted to wrassle, but it "pulled it's punches" and didn't bite hard at all. Cute as hell. And yes, as a former ferret owner I can confirm this is "let's play!" body language, which the giant in Brazil also showed...esp. that sideways "boinging" movement...classic "weasel wardance".

Once i ran into a family of otters in Oregon and they were very playful and curious. Was a cool experience hanging out with them.

Otters are so adorable,

Even playful otters can hurt you unintentionally. You gotta remember that these are the same animals that can murder crocs in the amazon.

"If you take a closer look at this video (which appears to feature a jaunty otter playing with some people), you'll realize that the otter is no ordinary otter - it is a scout otter, sent from the great Otterman Empire to ascertain the relative strength of human warriors. The report? Humans are trusting and weak - they shall be easy to conquer." Doug Barry jezebel.com/this-adorably-confused-otter-thinks-its-a-dog-1441727734

AWWW! SO reminds me of a ferret!!!

I don’t know otters well but I have grown up in the woods around wild animals. Looks to be curious and happy. A scared wild animal acts much differently. what a cool experience!

what are you? "I'm an otter. I swim around on my back and do cute little human things with my hands!" you're free to go.

Dude was certainly in a feisty, rowdy mood. Reminds me of my two ferrets years back. They get in that fun gear and they don’t turn off.

maybe it's a lonely otter.

Acts just like a ferret. Cute.

Where I dive, we have pretty significant populations of both otters and harbor seals. The entire area is a wildlife sanctuary, where it's a (significant) criminal offense to pretty much deliberately interact with any marine mammal. That said, it's impossible not to passively interact with these awesome critters. Otter and seal pups are amazingly curious and playful... and definitely get that divers aren't a threat to them. I'll cross my arms and remain motionless underwater -- and they'll still be mesmerized by their own reflection in my mask... blow bubbles in my face... nibble on my fins... and generally behave like happy juveniles of any mammal species. Fantastic to see and experience. :-) Let them play, but don't pet or feed. They'll still have a blast. This is a pretty good example of just watching and enjoying.

Otter thought the women was one of them.

It looks like a juvenile. Otters in general can be very playful, I used to have some sneak in my pool during the summer and play with my dogs toys. It looks like he's trying to figure out who the big thing is in his territory. Seems just curious to me, if he felt threatened believe me, you'd know it

That otter is a savage😂😂

I was kinda bummed this morning...came here, watched this...now I feel better! cute animals make me feel good about the world...people generally make me feel bad about the world.....Oops, time to watch more cute animal videos!!! :)

Title should be Otter plays like a Ferret.

plot twist, the woman is now carrying an otter child.

It liked her because her high pitched laugh 😂

That Otter is having a ball, he was like cmon silly two legged creatures let's play.

Otters are the best. Hope he doesn't get run over though!

Adorable! N its funny how ppl in the comments always think they kno it all "hes not playin hes protecting his turf" shut up! Otters are in the weasel family like ferrets,have u ever seen a ferret hunt? They do jump around and play to distract or confuse their prey,but they DONT show their belly! Their stomach is the most vulnerable thing to an animal,so buy rolling over and showing them his belly he probably actually trusts them. Go to KZfaq and watch videos on how otters hunt or protect their turf,u wont see this.

What a cutie, Otters love playing...This one wants to play catch me... l can see it's a young one...l can to its lonely wonder where it's family is. 💓💓💓

This is four good minutes of an odd otter and a couple of curious humans. I think it just wants to chase and be chased after a bit.

Play with him!

before I even went in to the comments section I KNEW there would be people freaking out over this video....I was right >< For the road issue, I think that we human beings don't give enough credit to animals. Otters are not stupid and I doubt it will go onto the road....I can't say the same for porcupines though :| (But I think porcupines are smart in their own way, just not road safety)

That cutest thing is checking you out as a piece of food.

I would go visit him every dog. He is precious!

Adorable, but I do wish it were more afraid of humans plus I don't like that it's playing with them so close to that road.

everyone stop giving advise you are not a professional most likely what they choose to do is their business they are lucky enough to have played with a wild otter and just leave it at that and stop trying to critique the video

This is the way to start the morning otters are so adorable he loves the lady he see she beautiful heart his in the mood of making new friends 👫.

awwww what a sweet and frisky little guy

lol i would have got down on the ground and rolled around with it lol!

I guess you can't watch any animal video withouth someone commeting about the highway (in this case scenario) and how people are stupid blah blaaah..... Thanks for uploading and filming this video to the guy and lady :-)

This was the cutest video I have ever seen

"Yeah I'm know I'm cute and all, now give me some noms !!!"

plot twist, the woman dies of rabies

At 0:56 is she asking the otter if it can smell her kitty. Common sense tells me she likely to have cats at home but Internet has warped my mind.

The otter is like, "just gimme the food already. I'm not some circus seal".

What a happy little soul he/she is!!

I wonder do they realise that an otter has a bite powerful enough to take of a finger, just ask Terry Nutkins who lost one of his digits to a sea otter.

U mean otter plays like an otter lol

I seen one here in Detroit; I was walking with this girl one night to the gas station, and we came across this weasel looking thing I thought it was a wolverine at first but now that I realize what I saw that night on August 24-29 one of them, it was a river otter!!

That is otter ridiculously cute

They should toss a tennis ball to that little guy.

I would've scared the otter away really. It's dangerous for the otter to not associate humans with danger. What happens when the same otter approaches a hunter?

*I just fell in love!*

An otter with zoomies. LOL Now I've seen everything.

He should be afraid of humans. And you are teaching him to not be afraid of the cars on the highway

Otters are pretty aggressive and have super strong jaws. She's lucky he wasn't attacking more.

This fish weasel is adorable

Aw! What a sweetie! xD

Jenna Marbles brought me here.

I am genuinely curious as to what made this otter act like this. Was there food behind the camera or is it actually tame or something because this is not how any wild animal acts around humans.

He's so cute! I want one as a pet and they're so precious little guys!

he is otterly adorable

what a cute otter.... but, what a sad and dangerous place. Lots of Otters must be becoming roadkill at that place.

I'm pretty sure that otter was a wiener dog in a previous life ;)

If only we could have encounters like this all the time... If humans weren't so dangerous to wildlife, we could be friends.

So adorable.I want one.