The Skull of the Otter: Alien Vs. Predator

So it's 2:20 in the morning, our Carbon monoxide alarm is going off, and the fire department is are their way. So that says to me it's time for another blog post!  For a long time now, I have been struck at how creepy looking the skull of the otter is!  Specifically the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis): it looks just like the head of the alien from the Alien movies!  Don't believe me?  Take a look below to see for yourself!

Now, not all otters have this terrifyingly creepy skull: the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), and a few of the other otters all have fairly normal looking skulls.  Their skulls all look more or less like the sea otter skull, pictured below.

There are some more otters that have that creepy Alien-looking skull going for them, though!  These otters include the marine otter (Lontra felina)....

....the southern river otter (Lontra provocax).....

....the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra).....

....the hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana)....

....and last, but not least (and in my opinion, the most), the most Alien-looking of the bunch, the neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis)!

These animals would have the elongated skull so that they are more streamlined when swimming in the water.  Their relatives, the weasels (also Mustelids), are often burrowing animals, or animals that have to squeeze through tight confines.  For these guys, too, the Alien-like head makes sense!