What animal did otters evolve from?

Otters evolved from a common ancestor shared with other members of the family Mustelidae, which includes weasels, badgers, and ferrets. This ancestral lineage is believed to have diverged around 20 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. Specifically, otters are thought to have descended from a lineage of carnivorous mammals that adapted to aquatic environments, leading to their specialized adaptations for swimming and hunting in water.