Edinburgh Zoo's Asian Small-clawed Otters welcomed five new borns to the raft in July this year - and now the 10 week old pups have started venturing out and about in their enclosure. The quintuplets were born to mum Elena and dad Ray - their third litter since arriving at the Zoo, making them experts when it comes to rearing pups. The youngsters have only recently started to explore their new surroundings under the watchful eyes of their older sisters, Eliza and Aisha, and of course their protective parents. Keepers have sexed the 10 week olds as three females and two males, who have yet to be named.

The new arrivals can often be seen splashing around in their many ponds and waterfalls, particularly early in the morning, and are always first in the queue when it comes to feeding time.  Fish is also a firm favorite with these youngsters.

A native to Southeast Asia, this particular otter is the smallest of the 13 species of otter family, weighing just 7.7lbs when fully grown. These water loving animals are known for their extremely agile, hand-like front paws that are complete with short claws - giving these otters their name. Using these dexterous paws they can easily tackle a variety of prey, including crab, snails, mollusks, small fish and insects. Like other otter species they use their strong rudder-like tail to navigate and propel them through the water.

Interestingly, unlike the other species of Otter, the Asian Small-clawed Otters are a close knit family group, often known as a raft or romp.  The alpha pair and older offspring will all take part in rearing and protecting the young pups.

Lorna Hughes, hoof stock keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, said:

"It's great news that this breeding pair has had their largest litter to date!

"Since being introduced to each other in 2010, they quickly hit it off and proven to be real naturals when it comes to rearing their youngsters. Our otter family is made up of mum and dad, Elena and Ray, their one and two year olds Aisha and Eliza and the quintuplet pups.

"We have recently just sexed the youngsters as two males and three females, but we have yet to name them - we usually wait until we know their characters a little better. So far they seem to be quite boisterous and adventurous, and they definitely like to be first in the queue when it comes to feeding time. Very playful, early morning or late afternoon is when they're often out and playing with each other or splashing in their pools.

"Asian Small-clawed Otters are the smallest Otter species in the world and the pups are around 10 weeks old now, so they still have a fair bit of growing to do. This species is under threat in the wild, so it really is brilliant news that Elena and Ray have had another litter together.  Their offspring will go on to play an important part in the conservation program."