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Happy World Otter Day! The otterly adorable creature is honored every year with its own special day—and social media marked the occasion by sharing sweet photos, gifs and videos of the aquatic mammal.

On Wednesday, thousands of people celebrated World Otter Day, which is observed annually and raises awareness about the lovable aquatic creatures. According to the International Otter Survival Fund, the celebration of Otterly Mad Week began in 2009 and became known as World Otter Day in 2014. “The aim of the day is to draw attention to the 13 species of otter – ALL of them are listed in the IUCN Red List. This includes the Eurasian otter which is found in Europe, Asia and North Africa. We need to draw attention to the threats to otters – habitat loss, hunting, illegal trade for furs and pets.”

The playful creature lives mostly in coastal Alaska, according to the U.S. Department of Interior, and they are “an essential keystone species.” Take a look at some more fun facts about otters:

  • “Otters are part of the Mustelid family of animals which also includes badgers, pine martens and weasels,” according to the IOSF.
  • “They have the thickest fur of any mammal in the animal kingdom,” according to Mental Floss, which helps with buoyancy and provides insulation.
  • “In the wild, sea otters sometimes ‘hold hands’—or, more accurately, paws—while sleeping so they don’t drift away from their raft (the term for a group of resting sea otters),” according to the Seattle Aquarium.

Many people took to Twitter to celebrate the adorable animal. See how social media celebrated World Otter Day below:

Social Media Celebrates World Otter Day with Photos of Adorable, Aquatic Mammal

How are you celebrating World Otter Day? Which otter photo/gif/video is your favorite? Sound off in the comments section below!