View source for Wikipedia:WikiOtter

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IF YOU ARE EDITING THIS, PLEASE CONSIDER EXPANDING IT. WE COULD USE A SECTION ON THE DIVERGENCE OF LUTRA WIKILUTRA FROM LUTRA LUTRA. SEE WP:DRAGON FOR IDEAS.

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{{WikiOtter topicon}}
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{{nutshell|WikiOtters are there to help out other users and [[Wikipedia:WikiFauna|WikiFauna]].  They can get mean and vicious when somebody picks on a newcomer, and may also become mischievous when they feel the rules tightening around them.}}
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IF OTHER TRANSLATIONS ARE DISCOVERED, WE'LL IN INCORPORATE THIS TEXT
''This article is mostly about the English WikiOtter, ''Wikilutra anglica''.  For other subspecies, use the links in the list of [[Wikipedia:WikiDragon#Subspecies|subspecies]].''

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|name=WikiOtter
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If someone writes about a fossil range, the code below should be used as a guide
|fossil_range = <br>{{fossil_range|{{#expr:{{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} - 2003}} / 1000000}}|0|[[2003|Late Nupedian]] (2003)&nbsp;– Recent<br>putatively since [[2001|Middle Nupedian]] (2001)|earliest = {{#expr:{{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}} - 2003}} / 1000000}}}}

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| image = LutraCanadensis fullres.jpg
| image_caption = A WikiOtter being friendly to another
| status = VU 
| status_system = iucn3.1
| genus = Lutra
| species = wikilutra
| authority = [[User:Barkjon|Barkjon]], 2008
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|subdivision_ranks=[[Subspecies]]
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* '''''W. w. anglica''''', <small>[[User:Hypergeometric2F1(a,b,c,x)|2F1]], [[2007]]</small>
* ''[[:fi:Wikipedia:Wikilohikäärme|W. w. fennica]]'', <small>[[:fi:Käyttäjä:Pitke|Pitke]], 2009</small>

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[[File:North American River Otter - CNP 3361 (7056954311).jpg|thumb|A WikiOtter, preparing to swim and clean up [[WP:VANDAL|vandalism]], expand [[WP:STUB|stubs]], and remove [[WP:LINKROT|dead links]]|200px]]
'''WikiOtters''' are elusive creatures whose chief characteristic is a willingness to help other users out by editing or simply being friendly.  Although the WikiOtter is a benevolent type of WikiFauna, it is a member of the [[Mustelidae|weasel family]] and will readily challenge much more "important" editors, as well as opposing [[WP:VAMPIRE|WikiVampires]].  For example, they are fierce fighters against anyone who picks on a newcomer.  WikiOtters also have a tendency to lighten the encyclopedia with harmless play, [[WP:HUMOR|humor]], and a total respect for [[WP:Ignore all rules]].
[[File:Sea otters holding hands.jpg|thumb|WikiOtters [[Wikipedia:WikiBreak|sleeping]] after a time-consuming day of editing|200px]]
[[File:Sea otter cropped.jpg|thumb|A WikiOtter, searching for vandalism in [[Special:RecentChanges|the deep seas of Wikipedia]]|200px]]
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==Identification==
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{{Usbk|User wikipedia/Otter}}
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Because WikiOtters tend to look strikingly similar to other members of the ''Lutra'' genus, perhaps the best way to identify a WikiOtter is by looking for the tag shown here. Another tag (image available next to the page name, on the right) is the {{tl|WikiOtter topicon}} tag. This tag is smaller but is somehow easier to spot at a distance. WikiOtter tagging has become a common method for tracking the species as conservationists attempt to bring back the species. As of March 2022, there are 58 known specimens of the species, a rise from the 7 in May 2021.{{Citation needed}}

==WikiOtters as pets==
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A WikiOtter license is required for legal possession of WikiOtters. One may apply for such a license by filling out a copy of the {{tl|User wikipedia/Otter}} form. A completed form is shown to the left. Recently however, not many would like to apply for ownership, one of the causes of the species becoming extinct.
==Conservation status & efforts==
The WikiOtter has been most recently evaluated using the [[IUCN]] 3.1 guidelines as [[extinct in the wild]], based on a recent survey performed by the [[WP:DOF|Department of Fun]]. The last WikiOtter was believed to have died in 2012, until three new specimens were spotted and tagged in 2013. In recent years, the [[WP:DOF|Department of Fun]] has made an effort to stimulate the wild population of WikiOtters by promoting overall awareness of them. The "This User Wants a WikiOtter" campaign, which makes use of {{tl|User wikipedia/wantOtter}} signs, proved for a short time to be a successful one for promoting the needed awareness. A&nbsp;[[User:MahaPanta/Sandbox/Meeting Cave|wildlife reservation]] has been set up in the last few years for the primary purpose of preserving the WikiOtter and another [[critically endangered]] species, the [[WP:DRAGON|WikiDragon]]. Due to the low production rate of WikiOtters, there are only 58 otters. Currently, there is a spike in inactivity in the species though the population has been growing.

Because they are not opposed to challenging veteran editors, WikiOtters can find themselves surrounded by other editors in a corner. If you see a WikiOtter in a corner for standing up to justice, make sure to stand up for it.

In 2024, the [[WP:OPAA|Otter Preservation Awareness Act]] was introduced as a new initiative to further promote awareness and conservation efforts for the species.

== See also ==
* [[Wikipedia:Teahouse]] – a place where WikiOtters can sometimes be found helping new editors
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{{Wikipedia fauna}}

[[Category:Medieval Wikifauna]]