Why, I otter ...

And that nose!

Studies show that at least cats respond well to baby talk.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cats-react-to-baby-talk-from-t...

But don't let that interrupt your umbrage.

You think the otter cares about human social norms and the way humans communicate with one another?

As someone who speaks with a lisp, I couldn't care less about how humans spell or pronounce animal sounds. If you make fun of my lisp, I'll think you're an idiot and disregard anything you say.

I guess I'm perpetuating ethnic stereotypes by saying orange cats are dumb too!

Note that one of the lessons that the update from the Tale of Jorts and Jean has taught us is that it is demeaning to equate comments/silly babytalk/stereotypes about animals who don't care to stereotypes about people who do.

So, anon? Please don't apply margarine to any of your coworkers. Thanks.

(Hey there BostonDog - I'm a lifelong lisper, too!)

but can't say exactly.

By 1977, however, they occupied < 75% of their historic range due to draining of wetlands, overharvesting for fur, and pollution. Wetland conservation and restoration in the 1980s, and reintroduction programs in some states in the 1990s, successfully restored river otters to almost 90% of their historic range by 1998. In Massachusetts, river otters were never extirpated. The abundance of freshwater and coastline in the Commonwealth has provided excellent resources for the species and opportunity for dispersal or colonization across state lines.

https://biodiversityworksmv.org/programs-projects/coastal-otter-research...

Thousands of years ago, no doubt.

This is an otter, not a beaver.