Otter chaos!

A North Carolina woman was reportedly left stunned when an otter sprang from the bushes of a trail and mauled her while she cheered on friends during a local marathon.

Erin Hogston, of Wilmington, was standing on the side of a paved Cary trail Sunday waiting for her marathoner friends to pass when she heard a rustling sound in the shrubs behind her. A dark-colored animal she thought was a bear quickly revealed itself, prompting her to bolt in a panic, WECT reported. 

The otter then lunged and sank its teeth into Hogston’s ankle after she fell while fleeing the semi-aquatic creature.

“Everybody was like, ‘wow, we thought they were nice, we thought they were cute,’” Hogston told the outlet, adding she thought she was attacked by a beaver until a runner revealed the shocking truth.

“I don’t know, I don’t see anything cute about otters, especially now.”

Hogston spent hours at a local hospital — she received six rabies shots — leaving nurses flabbergasted by her furry assailant, the outlet reported.

“I had to wait for a few hours in the ER, and when I checked in, they were like ‘you got bit by what?'” she said, noting employees said the otter incident was “a first” for them.

Hogston said she’ll have to go back for more shots in the coming weeks and months.

Only 59 otter attacks have been documented worldwide since 1875, with NC Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Falyn Owens telling the outlet that the sea dwellers are typically not a threat.

“Otters, as a general rule, are not aggressive around humans,” Owens said.

“Most people enjoy having them around, so a situation like this is extremely unusual.”

Wildlife officials believe otter attacks can occur for several reasons, including rabies or self defense.

North Carolina has seen just one other attack in recent years, WETC reported. 

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Hogston warned.

“You never know what’s going to be out on those trails.”