Punctuation and how you word a sentence really make a difference to those reading it.

In the Facebook group, Pure UP, someone named Ian Barnes posted a picture of an otter. Unfortunately, it was not well received by those who saw it. I know what you're thinking, what could be so bad about an otter?

Well, it's the way the picture was captioned that led people to be both horrified and confused. The post, which you can see below, shows a picture of an otter on a snowbank with the caption, "Dead River otter 02-02-2023." I'm sure you can see where this is going.

Mr. Barnes posted this both to his personal page and to the Pure UP group. Comments on both posts showed concern over the poor, dead otter. Comments like:

What happened? Did you investigate its wounds? Poor little one - Karen S. 

Why show this picture? - Debbie L. 

What happened to it. - Michael L. 

This is where punctuation is extremely important... - Robert G. 

Robert is correct. Because, of course, this isn't a picture of a dead river otter. It's a picture of a river otter on the banks of the Dead River.

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Punctuation and sentence structure matters, people. Thankfully, everyone eventually caught on and the concern over the dead river otter was quelled.


The Dead River sits in Marquette county in Michigan's UP. There are also waterfalls along the Dead River with hiking trails intertwined. If you'd like to visit and find your own, very much alive river otter, you can learn more here.

Did you know that it's actually legal to own a river otter in Michigan? See more below:

9 Animals That Are, Surprisingly, Legal to Own in Michigan

10 Unique Things This Michigan Man Has Found While Magnet Fishing

You just never know what you might pull from the river/lake while doing some magnet fishing

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