Otter pleasure to meet you! Marine park offers visitors the chance to shake hands with adorable animals

Visitors at zoo in Japan can shake hands with small-clawed otters



Zookeepers hand out cut up fish to entice tiny animals to enclosure glass



The species is considered under serious threat by habitat destruction

They're known to hold hands while sleeping so as to not drift away from one another.



And now otters are reaching out their paws to humans at a Japanese marine mark where visitors are offered the chance to shake hands with the adorable animals.



The Asian small-clawed Otters, which are the smallest in the species, can stretch their tiny paws out of holes cut in their glass enclosures to meet passers-by.



Visitors at the marine park can shake hands with the adorable otters who are the smallest of their kind

Visitors are given cut up pieces of fish to entice the animals to the enclosure's front

By holding out the great scent of Wakasagi Smelt, visitors can entice the animals towards them at the Keikyu Aburatsubo Marine Park in Miura.



For just 500 yen (£2.95), guests can meet and greet the animals at allotted times in the day, reports RocketNews24.



Zookeepers dish out chopped up fish to coax shyer creatures to the glass where queues have begun to grow so rapidly the park now recommends making a reservation to avoid disappointment.



Visitors can even bring their own pets into the park which houses dolphins, sharks, sea lions and penguins.



The otters, which are the smallest in the world, weigh less than 5kg and are particularly distinguished by their squishy, webbed paws.

The animals are known for their tiny claws which do not grow beyond their fleshy, webbed paws The animals are typically found dwelling in fresh water habitats when in the wild

Other animals at the marine park include dolphins, sharks, sea lions and penguins

For just 500 yen (the equivalent of £2.95) visitors can feed the animals and have their fingers grabbed through the tiny holes This species can be found in coastal regions from southern India to South China, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, Java, and Palawan.

It is known from all regions of Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei, central Kalimantan, and most parts of Borneo with most dwelling in fresh water habitats.

The animals which mate for life have a life span of between 11 and 16 in the wild.

They use vocalisations, scents and trail markings to communicate with each other.

The animals are considered to be under serious threat by rapid habitat destruction, hunting and pollution.

Their population trend is in decline despite being a protected species. The Asian small clawed otter doesn't grow to weigh more than five kilograms

The Asian small clawed otter mates for life and typically has two litters of pups The animals are considered under serious threat despite being a protected species







