Visitors at ZooAmerica in Hershey, Pennsylvania, got an unexpected dose of winter joy when the zoo’s two North American river otters, Link and Iris, turned a snowy day into the ultimate playground.
Using their own bodies like tiny sleds, the playful pair slipped and slid down a snow-covered hill, clearly having the time of their lives. The short video may be brief, but it’s overflowing with cuteness as the otters glide through the fresh powder before splashing into a small pond waiting for them at the bottom.
ZooAmerica perfectly summed up the moment with the caption: “You otter believe that Link and Iris had a blast sliding through the fresh snow today!”
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Fans couldn’t get enough. One commenter joked that the otters’ antics mirrored her own family’s snow day fun, writing that her kids were doing the exact same thing — sliding down plowed snowbanks with no sleds required.
If it looks like Link and Iris were born for this kind of fun, that’s because they were. North American river otters are famously playful animals, and snowy conditions only add to the excitement.
According to the National Wildlife Federation, river otters communicate through whistles, yelps, growls, and even screams, along with plenty of physical contact and expressive body language. They’re also impressively fast, capable of running up to 15 miles per hour on land and sliding smoothly through snow or mud when it suits them.
While otters are best known for their swimming skills, they’re just as interesting on land. Adult river otters can hold their breath underwater for up to eight minutes and dive as deep as 60 feet, but they actually spend about two-thirds of their time on land — including when they sleep.
When they’re not playing, these energetic animals stay busy hunting for fish, crabs, snails, frogs, worms, and turtles. After meals, they carefully groom and wash themselves, earning a reputation for being surprisingly clean creatures.
Whether splashing in the water or sliding down snowy hills, Link and Iris proved that winter days are always better with a little otter-style fun.