North American River Otter
(Lontra canadensis)
RIVER ROYALTY
Diet
Diverse diet since they are found in many different habitats throughout our state
Eats fish, but also a wide variety of crustaceans, bivalves, small mammals and reptiles, and even birds
Agility
Very proficient swimmers and can glide through the water making sharp turns to catch fish
Speed on land can get up to ~15 mph and they can swim even faster
Defense Mechanisms
Very sharp teeth that can be used to crack open things like clam shells
Communicate using various sounds to warn each other about predators
Superpower
Have ~156,000 hairs per square inch on their body which means they can handle colder water temperatures
Can hold their breath for ~4 minutes underwater