How to Say “Sea Otter” in Spanish

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nutria marina
/nutɾja maɾina/from spelling rulesfeminine
The English phrase "sea otter" is nutria marina in Spanish.
nutria marina refers to the marine mammal *Enhydra lutris*.
Meaning: Enhydra lutris (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of nutria (otter) and marina (marine or sea).

How does it change in a sentence?

The phrase is feminine, so the indefinite article una must be used instead of the masculine un to say "a sea otter". When pluralizing the phrase to say "the sea otters", both the noun nutria and the adjective marina must take the plural suffix -s, resulting in las nutrias marinas.

How do you pronounce it?

/nutɾja maɾina/

Did you know?

  • The root of nutria can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *wed-, which is also the ancestor of the English word 'water'.
  • The term marina is used in Spanish not only for the ocean, but also as a specific style of traditional songwriting and dance in certain coastal regions.

Examples in context

  • La nutria marina atravesó a nado el bosque de kelp.
    The sea otter swam through the kelp forest.
    This sentence shows the use of nutria marina in the context of a kelp forest.
    Tatoeba #11969431 by Seael, translation #8147201 by Hybrid
  • Las madres por lo general dejan a sus crías mientras éstas se alimentan en el litoral. ¡Incluso una solitaria nutria marina o una cría de foca probablemente no está abandonada!
    Mothers often leave young behind while feeding offshore. Even a lone sea otter or seal pup is probably not abandoned!
    This sentence uses nutria marina to discuss the behavior of mothers and young in the wild.
    Tatoeba #7091443 by Eremon, translation #6604303 by Hybrid
  • Me encanta observar a las nutrias marinas jugando en los acantilados del Pacífico.
    I love watching sea otters playing on the Pacific cliffs.
  • Las nutrias del mar son hábiles nadadoras y excelentes pescadoras.
    Sea otters are skilled swimmers and excellent fishermen.
  • La nutria marina flota en el agua.
    The sea otter floats in the water.
  • 1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Javier and Sofia are visiting an aquarium.

  1. Javier

    Sofía, ¿sabes qué animal es aquel?
    Sofía, do you know what animal that is?
  2. Sofía

    Es una nutria marina, Javier.
    It is a sea otter, Javier.
  3. Javier

    Es muy tierna cuando usa piedras.
    It is very cute when it uses stones.
  4. Sofía

    Sí, son muy inteligentes.
    Yes, they are very intelligent.

Sources

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Vicki Christine
Vicki ChristineHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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