From the soaring eagles we watch from afar to the pet parakeets and canaries chirping in our homes ...

Combine a bulbous snout with a prominent jaw, a body like a beer keg set on four stubby legs, and you have a hippopotamus.

Members of the weasel family, otters are known for their elongated bodies, webbed feet and playful antics, particularly their love of sliding down rocks, banks or waterfalls.