Activity

Play students the film, explaining that it was the first time an otter had ever been filmed underwater and that the study was celebrated as a 'record-breaker' in the world of early film.

As the film plays, ask students to think about how the otter has adapted well to life in the water. The scene in which the otter is fishing is particularly useful for looking at the particular features of the otter's tail, feet, fur and shape.

If you are playing the film on an interactive whiteboard, you might wish to pause the film on a particular frame and ask students to label these features over the image.

Some more ideas

• When this film was originally shown, it included a scene in which the otter eluded men and dogs on the hunt. Ask students to identify the main characteristics of the otter's natural environment and discuss the ways in which external factors, such as the hunt, can affect natural habitats.
• How useful is film in helping us understand plant and animal life? Encourage students to think about the benefits (and disadvantages) of films such as this one, as well as more recent examples of wildlife programming, including Life on Earth (1979), Blue Planet and Planet Earth.