Triathlete Attacked by Crazed ... Otter

Triathletes face some serious challenges—but bloodthirsty otters aren't usually among them. While preparing for her second Ironman Triathlon, a Minnesota woman was attacked by just such a creature, which bit her 25 times before she was rescued. Leah Prudhomme was in the midst of a half-mile swim in a familiar pond when she felt a bite. An otter's head burst out of the water, then disappeared as it struck again, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

A friend alerted Prudhomme's father, who picked up his daughter in his boat. She headed to the hospital for rabies and tetanus shots. Fortunately, she was wearing a wetsuit, which prevented more damage. A wildlife expert says he's "never seen or heard of such" an attack, though otters are "everywhere." The experience hasn't deterred Prudhomme, 33, from an upcoming triathlon in the very same spot. "It's not like I'll be bitten by another otter," she says. (More Minnesota stories.)