"Anyone fancy going and seeing the otters?"

"I'm game!" 

"Ooh. They have two types here! Asian short claws that are just next door - don't ask - and eurasian otters. They're both adorable." And Ant bounces ahead of them to lead the way.

Zev wraps an arm around Nova, smiling at the bouncing Ant. 

"Look at em go!"

Lan laughs and ushers them through.

Where, indeed, there's a gang of Asian short claw otters playing around in the water, and on the land bits of their enclosure, and squeaking. They make a surprising amount of noise for such small creatures.

Zev turns a teasing grin on 'Chelle. "Are these your people, 'Chelle?"

'Chelle laughs and throws her arm around him and Nova (gently of course). "Says you."

"I knew I'd heard those squeaks before!" 

Nova giggles quietly.

"Ooh. They're doing a feed in ten minutes!"

"You can watch them eat?"

"Yup. And the keeper gives a little talk about them as well."

"Oh, 'Chelle, I'm so proud that you'll let others inform us of an animal's abilities."

'Chelle sticks her tongue out. "Did you know that otters gang up on caymans and win? Not these ones. But other otters."

"And a cayman is?"

"Reptilian cousin of a crocodile and alligator, predator. They have a pair here in the reptile house. We can show you later."

"Ah." Zev looks back behind him, like he can see the reptile house. "They sound...delightful."

"You might have not realised this yet, but Ant is surprisingly fond of predators. I blame Ira."

"Ira's more a shark than anything else if you ask me..."

"I'm something of a big cat, myself. Still a predator, though I can be undone by chin scritches."

"That doesn't undo me."

Ira is rather suddenly right behind them.

Zev did not jump. He was very much unruffled by her sudden appearance. 

"I wouldn't try and pet a shark to begin with, let alone their chin."

"-Aquarium. We're taking you to an aquarium. Some sharks love scritches."

"Who's getting close enough to sharks to test that theory?"

"Well fed sharks don't attack."