Tricksters of River, Lake, and Sea: Otters of Kaimere
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Tomorrow is #OtterDay! To celebrate, I'm happy to partner with my sponsor Lindsey to bring you an episode on the diversity of otters in Kaimere, my speculative biology project and setting of my literary work.
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Your tales of Kaimere have inspired me to take up my own speculative world building project, thanks you for this amazing introduction into world building and speculative evolution!
Absolutely my pleasure!
@@TalesofKaimere I have to ask, is the water-panther inspired by similar creatures in native american myth?
Otters are high adaptive, intelligent animals who can surivive almost anywhere under any conditions at the moment they have water and fish and crustacean preys to eat.
They also are gracile, slender, perfect swimmers creatures but also very charismatic and ULTRA CUTE !!!!!!!
CUTE ! CUTE ! CUTE !
Honestly, who wouldn't want to take a picture of an otter as she shows off her cute little black eyes, her cute face and her shiny yet smooth coat that's irresistibly soft to the touch!
Otters are so cute that we only want to take them in our arms, give them lots of hugs and take care of them!
😍😍😍😍
Very cool! Otters are some of my favorite animals and I’m glad to see that they are doing well in Kaimere! Thank you Lindsey for the sponsor!
I’m not sure if there are any real world otters that use human traps to their advantage but the behavior seems convergent with sea lions. I’ve been an avid fisherman since I was about seven years old. In my old stomping grounds there used to be a sea lion that would hang out under the pier and steal crabs from people’s traps. I sympathized with the crabbers but it always seemed kind of funny to me until one day he killed and ate a leopard shark that I was trying to release. Very much a love/hate relationship with that guy. I haven’t been back to that spot in a few years but I hope he’s doing all right.
Awesome! Especially the hyaenodons.
Glad you like!
@@TalesofKaimere Absolutely!
Maybe the most adorable creature on Earth and Kaimere
Surprisingly this episode covered a lot more animals beyond true otters, which was very nice. And I noticed that you played a lot with different transitions for the images this time around.
Also the way you say something about an animal but then you leave it ambiguous as to whether it's true or not...Now I'm gonna spend the rest of the day wondering if wakatelu would occasionally suck the brain of people
Thanks! Haha yeah they probably don't but... walruses do a lot more than they're specialized for so who's to say. Who can say.
There are about 19 species of otters in our own world, ranging from Africa to Asia to Europe and to South and North America. It isn't a question of where "are" otters, it's where "aren't" they. The sea otter is the largest weasel on Earth, yet our smallest marine mammal. North American river otters are also known for being playful yet cunning predators of fish, muskrats, and even beavers. I even heard that humans actually do use otters to help catch fish. They are so intelligent.
Wow the Wakatelu looks so alien but so familiar. Very cool bring in more therapsids into Kaimere
Thanks! I'm looking forward to developing more non-mammal therapsids. Can get a lot more speculative that far back!
I can't wait to get enough money to do the full episode of gorgonopsids, and then ask about the strange dinosaurs on other continents!!
otters are so adorable!
I’m liking these new transitions between images. I can tell your editing is getting better with time and I hope that trend continues because there’s a lot of potential here.
With every video made, my desire to have Kaimere be a real place I can visit increases. The fauna on this planet is more diverse and interesting than what I’ve seen from the vast majority of spec evo preojects. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it would be too dangerous for an average joe like me to live there.
Quick questions: Are there any bears on Kaimere? If so how do they survive in a world where the top predators are theropod dinosaurs?
Thank you! Have been playing a bit with the editing program and I’m quite happy with the results.
There are indeed bears! The cave bear of the Western highlands is nearly a ton, and a pretty strict herbivore, able to get so large because of the absence of a lot of theropods in that ecosystem. The only other bear in the known world is the uku, a cousin of the Asiatic black bear. They are much smaller and proficient climbers, being very successful generalists and found throughout most of the known world.
@@TalesofKaimere Neat, I kinda figured they’d survive best by climbing like many big cats so I’m not that surprised black bears do pretty well on Kaimere.
It’s cool that mammals can hold their own against the reptiles despite how much larger and more powerful many of them they are in comparison.
@@TalesofKaimere Since the current Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) live and share the same distribution and habitat than the Cave Bear during the Last Ice Age period, and since the bear specie if mostly omnivore with high herbivore tendances diet, is it possible that the brown bear could be included in the Western Continent with the Cave Bear (if the two were able to cohabit perfectly during the glacial period, I believe that they would be able to inhabit cold places of Kaimere) ?
The Brown Bear can be good in the Western Continent since most of the big mammals, especially the ones from the Ice Age, received more success and are in better number than in the rest of the Knwon World ! No ?
BTW? the Cave Bears is also present in the Known World too, like the Uku, since the Highland of Arvel region have surfaces in the Known World. The cave Bear live in the Known World region and also in the rest of the Western Continent parts outside his Arvel region part of the Known World inside this later.
Otters are my favorite animals.Really glad they're super successful on kaimere.
Absolutely! They're thriving
This was a great episode!!! Shame that there aren’t any giant otters in the Known World, maybe one lurks outside the map. Excited to see what’s next!
Thank you kindly! Hyaenodonts do be keeping our boys down.
This was a truely amazing episode. I loved that you covered both Otters and Hyenadonts. I really wish there was a massive Otter on Kaimere. Imagining an angry giant otter family absolutely savagely destroy a Kurajaku and kill it 😈.Knowing how crazy they are I can see it happening..
Quick question do Dire Otters and Renzhuyo target Dinosaurs??
Both will occasionally target dinosaurs, but their preferred prey are seals and fish respectively
Amazing video Keenan, getting better and better with each video.
Thanks so much!
Random Question : In the Known World, there only 3 groups of Pterosaurs : the Azdarchid, the Tapejarid and the Anurognathid.
But; are there others kinds or groups of Pterosaurs lineages who exist outside and beyond this region ? And you haven't decide yet, have you intention and plans about that ?
Those three are the definite canon clades and I’ve had nyctosaurs on the back burner for a while. Will finalize when I sit down for the pterosaur episode. I’ve learned enough about pterosaurs that I’ll need to redraw all the azhdarchids and will be incorporating the rest at that time.
Well, it's sad that Kaimere doesn't have its own Giga-Otter... Like earth back then... But then again, Aquatic Hyeanadons are the ultimate Nope! Like, they were scary in earth as a fossil, but they're alive in Kaimere, which is... Well, good for mammals, but bad for my sanity!
Well there was the Giant otter at the beggining
@@alejandroelluxray5298 A shame it didn't last...
Another great addition
Thanks man!
This Video remind me about the Miocene Giants African Otters from the game "Ancestors : The Humankind Odyssey" (based in physicall appearance on the current living Amazonian Giant Otters specie), that the player, under the character of one of our Ape ancestor, can face when he walk around rivers. In the game, it's none other than the Enhydriodon dikikae specie otter.
And if there a thing to said about these creatures, it's that these critters are incredibly aggressive and violent ! Capable to killing the Ape than the player control !
In fact, it's the little ones species who are cute, friendly and adorable, thus the giants ones are truly animals to especially not tickle if we want to keep all the fingers in our hands!
Because species like Enhydriodon and Megalenhydris were really monsters which would make the hippos seem like little players in comparison !
I don't known if one or the other were brought on Kaimere, but with this level of dangerosity and the fact that some kind of animals have any fears to face off more larger carnivores (the Megalenhydris was capable to kill a shark, A SHARK !!!!!), they should had a great success during Kaimere evolution history ! (if they have not even at least one progeny somewhere .....)
BTW, the the game "Ancestors : The Humankind Odyssey" is truly a good and educationnal game that I recommend everyone to play if someone have the occasion !
I really enjoy this video, the lore about the otters and their clever little tricks make what to see a tales of kaimere adaptation showing the otters little tricks full hand, also nice to see that dream has become the job you always wanted well done that. By the way what was you day job?
Thanks! My day job was a bookseller at Barnes and Noble. A good job but took up a lot of time and energy.
On earth, Otters are animals who can be easily tamed, and since a long time (but any of the current species were domesticated to this day, and there aren't any domectic breeds/races or varieties/forms too), and most of them made good pets to keep like any regular dogs or cats.
Of course, many things must be done to proprely keep an otter. But it's also more or less easy to give him the things an otter must have to complete her needs.
At my knownledge, there isn't great tendances or great number of Otters keeping like pets around the world, mostly in Japan or America, and any popular wave who can up and increase the current level exist.
All or most of the otters speciemens keeping as pet come from species who aren't truly endangered or threaten, with overall status of most of the species being in LC level by the UICN. There some species who still theaten by humans, but there are not many, and only few, see any specimens of their population are keep as pet.
So overall, it's a good thing to known that for once, otters are not overall threaten by the humans and the animals pet market.
In any case, Kaimerans should take youngs or newborns baby otter than regulars adults speciemens if they want to, at least, tamed them for keep as pets.
A wonderfull video. I really like seing otters, because you don't usuallly see them in many speculative works. Do you consider adding ducks? I think it would be funny to see a swan chase off a Kurajaku.
Also I just got your Tales of Kaimere book 1. Reading Death walks on broken limbs and I am really enjoying it.
Thank you! Definitely planning to expand waterfowl and bet there will be ducks geese and swans. Hope you continue to enjoy!
Random Question : What is these two grey hippo like mammals in the background of the Renzhuyo fanart at 6:49 minutes ?
Those are rhinos! Rhinos on the Eastern continent occupy a hippo like niche
@@TalesofKaimere A different second specie from the Special Rhino Day video or a population of this exact same Kaimeran Rhinoceros showned in this same special episode ?
Because I don't remember that this later specie have a grey skin, haven't nasal horn (because they clearly haven't ones) and have two big inferiors tusk in their mouth !
How many Rhino species they are in Kaimere ?
Random Questions : About the Creodont. It's was said since a very long time that they came from the Oligocene harvest (with Hyeanodon for example), with others lineage brought with others harvests after this big one, and become the mains terrestrials dominant predators group after the Tyrant Dynasty era when this dysnaty fall andthe overall ecosytem was destabilize. This permanently before the carnivorous theropod dinosaurs made a come back in force, with the Megaraptorian as the dominant predators of the ecosystem.
BUT, you said too that, because of that, most or every Creodonts were forced to become semi or complete aquatic animals, with today any and no more normal generic looking traditionnal terrestrial predators Creodont specie. And the few of them who can surivived on the lands and mainlands are no more carnivores specialist but opportunistic omnivores.
So, my question are the following:
1- Are there at least a few species of Creodonts left that resemble their ancestors on Kaimere (even outside of Known World)?
2- Did the Hyaenodon survive on Kaimere and give a legacy / descendants still alive today?
3- The current semi or complete aquatic Creodont species like the Renzhuyo, the Mud Bear, the Water Panther or the Dire Otter descends from giants generic looking most well known wpecies like speciesHyeanodon or Megisthotherium like ancestors or instead from already small sized less known genus like the Apterodon (the one at precise 7:01 if i'm correct, but honestly, it's difficult since DeviantArt user artbyjrc don't put number to the side of the animals and their names under them in most of his fanarts, which is a shame considered his good illustrations) ?
1. there are no basal giant hyaenodonts planned. They were all outcompeted in terrestrial niches by entelodonts, nimravids, and dinosaurs. The semiaquatic ones got big and derived.
2. There are currently no plans for 'classic' hyaenodonts in the known world or beyond.
3. All hyaenodonts of Kaimere are descended from alsmall semiaquatic or larger hyaenodonts that independently became semiaquatic.
@@TalesofKaimere Okay, thank for the awnser !
The Creodonts evolution history is quite facisnating, since even already big size species similar to the famous Hyeanodon (who was at 100% canon brought into Kaimere but leave any legacy on the planet) were capable to evolve into semi-aquatic predators or opportunistic animals, having currently ONLY (high) derived representatives on the planet !
In general, when a crisis happen, the biggest members of an animals order got extinct and only the smallest species surived and evolved bigger again, but here not !
At least, this group received a high deserved, even if quite short and temporary, success just after the Tyrant Dynasty Extinction as apex carnivores on Kaimere, before the Theropods dinosaurs made come back and others predatory mammals arrive and put a HUGE kick ass to the Creodont where that hurt !
Which of the hyenadonts spends the most time on land
6:44
Wait, so there used to be gigantic macropredatory otters on earth ? Why do I only now find out about that ?
Yup! The bear otter Enhydriodon was over 400 pounds (almost twice the size of Kaimere's biggest otters) and a generalist, likely tackling large prey by the river's edge although probably mostly hunted for large fish like catfish.
@@TalesofKaimere Dang. Who would have thought that such creatures really existed on earth
And there is also a fully terrestrial hypercarnivorous otter that could hunt ungulates like wild goats and deer
Image in my mind of a Crabber pulling up his catch and wondering about the drag when one of these overgrown water ferrets pops and squeals in his face. Which would be comical and cute, if the thing’s teeth weren’t as long as the man’s thumbs!!!
6:37 my future animal is similar to this in the picture it’s all my friends TH-cam channel it’s called the sea cat hunting mudskipper shark
Mmmh, this was a very interesting episode. I'm surprised to find the otter analogous animals here as well. Specially the very weird wakatelu, which, I'm not sure how many fangs does it has? Is it one asymetral fang or two symetrical ones?
Thank you! They have a pair of conical tusks similar to walruses
Soory if this commentary have anything to do with the current subject of this video but .....
Hey, I just realize that Jurassic World Dominion will completely put on screen a swimming aquatic Raptor in the person of a highly edited Pyroraptor, like many leaks show that!
It’s ironic since you, way before that, you made and create an entire group of marine raptors named the Penguin-Raptors (close relatives of the Firebirds), with one transient specie (who, I think, is always still alive currently on kaimere) who look overall very similar to the JW Dominion Pyro !
Some things to said about this fact, Keenan ?
I am hoping to make a penguin raptor episode before JW if I have time!
@@TalesofKaimere yes, but me, I find this fact especially crazy that they got the same idea than you in paralelle and many Time After you !
That surprise you ?
question:
Are there some other species of Sea cow-like dicynodonts and otter-like therocephalians throghout the Planet?
Absolutely! Both clades have a lot of planetary diversity. Only one of each in the known world though.
@@TalesofKaimere Are there always terresrtrial more traditionnal dicynodonts species on the permian Island or somewhere else ?
It's a little same there aren't the iconicals current Marine Otter (Enhydra lutris) and the Giant Amazonian Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) species on Kaimere.
But if there aren't despite there where harvest in their earth distribution and existence time, it's because there already marine and giants species of otters who fitt the same, or in great part, ecological niche.
So even if it's very likely these two ones were brought, they simply don't make it in long term on Kaimere. Despite being more recent and more modern species.
Because, yes, thing to keep in mind but .... this aspect and case show that it's not because a specie is more ancient, old, achaic or less modern than a new more recent and yong species that she necessarily be dominated and put into extinction by the latter if the two were to meet.
This kind of idea, common in the popular cuture and minds, is a little misleading in some ways.
Because, yes, it's true, entire current or extinct groups, orders, genus or species of animals in earth history, many times, take over their own close, more older relatives or others similars lifes beings who share physicals or ecologicals similarities (ex: the Rhino order take the place of the Brontotherid, the Ankylosaurid replace the Stegosaurid, the Moderns Carnivorans and Felines species take over the Creodonts and Hoofed carnivorous mammals, etc....), BUT everytime, these more performant groups have always benefited from external events, often climatic or environmental to more effectively outcompete groups of older animals. The latter being always most often the dominant creatures of their environment before being spplanted precisely.
For example, if there wasn't the Carboniferous end crisis who separate this later era with the Permian, there will be alway giants arthropodes clades as dominants creatures instead of amphibians, reptiles and mammalians reptiles. Same for the Triassic's creatures, if there wasn't the Trias-Jurassic crisis event, the sames dominants creatures of the Trias era (mostly Dicynodonts, Crocodiles relatives etc...) will remains overall the sames during the rest of the Mesozoic, despite the presence and existence of the dinos, who will likely still smalls like there were during the Trias.
And here, overall, there was never any crisis that hurt sufficiently the old Otters lineages who allow most the news owns to take their place instead. There not new more modern species on Kaimere because there were already similar species who already fitt the same ecological niches.
Neither the modern sea otter nor giant otters were eligible for harvest, since both evolved long after the respective portals that they could have come through. There are analogues of both, though!
Your overall point is absolutely correct: modern animals aren't inherently superior than their ancestors. Natural selection optimizes animals to a specific context, it's not a progress towards any ultimate organism. Modern otters probably wouldn't be as successful as Miocene otters in their context, and vice versa. Although many modern Earth animals and their relatives are successful in Kaimere, I try to make it clear that this is more due to the advantages of invasive generalists to an unstable ecosystem than anything inherently superior about the organisms themselves. Modern animals being 'more evolved and therefore better' is an unfortunately common misconception.
I don't care what anyone says, I love Otters, they're so cute!
They’re adorable it’s true!
I remember going to an aquarium and seeing river otters and thinking: “how can humans bring themselves to kill animals as cute as these”? Now I know why: humans are horrible creatures. By the way, this video is great. My worldbuilding pet project is going... swimmingly! (XD
Haha excellent!
Question: if you were to let’s say walk around in the forests of kaimere, what would be the likelihood of encountering a zentaur or any other large animals
Depends on the species. You would absolutely be aware of titanosaurs in their gardens. Their infrasonic calls carry for miles and even if we can't hear them we'd for sure feel them. Zentaur and other megaraptorans do patrol their territories and being as efficient as they are with long legs and air sacs they'd probably be encountered in their territory pretty reliably. That said, as common and prolific as the known world is, the numbers of animals isn't completely unprecedented, and you could probably go for hours without encountering anything huge if luck was on your side.
@@TalesofKaimere ah ok, that’s good to know that you don’t need to watch your back for ever second, thank you :)
The most surprising thing in this video is the fact that an otter the size of a shark apparently existed before. What the hell.
1. What does the Dire Otter eat and does it cause any issues for Kaimerans?
2. Since you mentioned krakens and mosasaurs, are there any massive ammonites for them to feed on or is it just smaller members of the two clades eating ammonites?
3. What makes the Wakatelu so cursed apart from the sucking thing? Just seems derpy to me.
4. Unrelated but inspired by the bear questions in the comments, do the uku and nehamu ever meet considering the nehamu is just a black bear t rex?
1. Dire otters really like seals and small whales but it will hunt Kaimerans too close to the water. They’re not great on land.
2. I’m planning on huge ammonites, yes.
3. Sucking thing is the main cursed aspect.
4. Uku and nehamu do share territory but the bear has a much wider range.
Among these otters, I like marine otter the most. I recently rewatched your other videos and noticed that amphibians and invertebrates don't have any dedicated video for them. Is there any particular reason for that?
Thanks! I don’t have any because my knowledge base and passion are centered around dinosaurs and mammals. I plan on doing episodes on more meso and microfauna but the reality is I don’t have as robust a backlog of research and art so will take a lot more time to study, implement, and draw those groups. They are on the agenda just not in the immediate future. I do plan on soon doing a ‘microfauna of the known world’ to offer a similar overview of the megafauna episode I did last year but I’m not sure when that will be in the schedule.
It's cool to knwon that they are generic modern species of otters on Kaimere, with some who must being exactly like the brown or grey coated fur species like the European otter or the Canadian otter.
The Common Kaimeran Otter, depicted here, is more brown and grey coated fur (a mix of the two mains modern living otters species of earth) than truly a real broan coat or a real coat it's seem.
But outside this specie, Lutra kaimerensis, how many spacies of Lutra there is on Kaimere, inside or outside the Known World region ? a dozen species ? around twenty ? around thirty ?
Because it's maybe the most widespread and successfull genus on Kaimere currently, but I don't think you give us a real estimation of the number of specie this genus have.
And what others modern genus of otter there are too ? because there are also the genus Lontra, the genus Aonyx, the Hyndrictis genus and the Lutrogale genus, which the respective species are identical to the Lutra's species in terme of physical and ecological niches ?
The common otter has outcompeted all other small river otters with the exception of the red otter because of its divergent specialization in hard-shelled prey enabled it to evade the dominion of the common otter. There are no other species of Lutra in the known world. I haven't developed beyond as far as otters are concerned but there may be a few more small ones from the Miocene.
Speaking of bears, I don’t think I remember you mentioning or referencing bears at all. Were they outcompeted, or you just haven’t gotten to them?
I’ve mentioned them in passing a couple times. Generally they compete with mylodont sloths and have failed to outcompete them. There are two species of bear in the known world. Eventually I will cover them in their own episode.
@@TalesofKaimere awesome!!! I would imagine herbivorous bears are outcompeted by sloths, carnivorous/kleptoparasitic ones outcompeted by cockatrices, and insectivorous ones outcompeted by the Prairie Cast and the Giant Echidna. That only leaves the arboreal omnivores, which should mean that the black bear is the most successful. Which makes sense, given their success on earth.
@@jacobjerny7502 You have indeed deduced why the ukulele bear, which shares a common ancestor with the asiatic black bear, is by far the more common and successful of the species!
Love this shit. Give me more and I'll sub to your patreon in a month after I catch up on my bills since I just got back to work from a 3 week leave for COVID
Thank you! Hope the recovery from COVID has been good. Hit a couple friends like a truck even with the shot.
What other videos are you working on? I would love for hyaenodonts to get their own video but i would also like pterosaurs or apes to get one too!
Currently have a sponsored episode on mermaids, parrots, and monkeys in the works! Pterosaurs, elasmosaurs, apes, and crocodiles are ones I'm chipping away at but of course gotta prioritize the sponsored ones since they pay the bills!
What animals would prey on otters in Kaimere? I imagine the aquatic Megaraptorans would snag one given the chance, an appetizer, I guess.
Hyaenodonts, crocodiles, and large fish are their main predators. Tigers and red panthers do as well.
@@TalesofKaimere that’s why many otters live in groups, to guard against predators
@@TalesofKaimere Speaking of which, what animals eat the dire weasel, hyaenodonts, and therocephalian?
@@ryanchen1819 Dire weasel are occasionally hunted by common cockatrice and canids. Hyaenodonts are prey to large crocodilians, aquatic theropods, and cetaceans. Therocephalian is prey to mosasaurs, sharks, and cetaceans.
@@BigBossMan538 Works to a degree but there's only so much sociality can do against a determined predator. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
are their animals kaimere, species not native to earth? but evolve on Kaimere? maybe speices that survive into the age of dinos?
All animals have some Earth ancestor
@@TalesofKaimere no I mean from earth but evolve that they look like alein?
Hey can you do a crocodilians of Kaimere episode? If no that's okay lol I just really like Crocodilians
It's definitely on the list! They're super important and successful in a warm region with so much freshwater habitats.
Does the information in this video still hold up
Yeah I think so
The Renzhuyo looks like a leopard seal to me because of the skull and teeth.
They do indeed!
@@TalesofKaimere It's my favorite pinniped!
Not first, but close
... wait there were giant hammerhead shark eating otters, on Earth?
I think that particular interaction is speculative but they were super large, predatory, and likely innovative and adaptable.
will you do a video on reptiles of kaimere if u havent already?
I haven't yet but I'm hoping to at least do crocodiles soon! Turtles and lizards are both deserving of episodes but that's a lot of artwork and studying I'd need to do first.
@@TalesofKaimere ok thanks :)
First coment first like lol
The water wealses
Yep
@@shingtiong9425 indeed
@@seanessdragon4142 so what have you come up with recently?
@@shingtiong9425 hhhhmmmm only a new growth thing
So you know the kokokaka ( the ceratosaurus descendent )
I thought of its juvenile stage being like masiakasaurus
Anyways thanks for the name idea.I have already zevxos.It's giant bison.
Otter? I hardly know her