North American River Otter
North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis
Lontra canadensis
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Population, Conservation Status, Threats:
Considered least concern by the IUCN with a stable population, historically river otters have been overharvested by the fur trade and have suffered habitat loss from degradation of waterways. Water pollution and habitat loss is still a significant threat to otter populations today.
Physical Description:
North American river otters are large, semiaquatic mustelids. They are dark brown, with lighter fur on the snout, neck, and belly. They have greatly reduced ears, prominent whiskers for detecting prey in murky underwater environments, large webbed paws and a strong, broad tail for swimming.
Overall North American river otter range from Montana Field Guide. They are currently present in much of the south and the pacific northwest of the United States, as well as across Canada and Alaska.
Habitat:
River otters live in a wide variety of habitats, from rivers to marshes and lakes, and even marine and coastal environments, from sea level to the mountains. Their primary habitat requirement is access to water and abundant food sources. They are sensitive to pollution, and therefor tend not to inhabit waterways heavily used by humans.
Behavior:
River otters are extremely playful and social, typically living in pairs or small family groups. They are generally active during the daytime, but in areas with higher human presence, otters may behave more nocturnally to avoid disturbance. They are incredibly strong swimmers, able to reach speeds of 8 MPH and can remain submerged for up to 6 minutes. Territory is generally 3 to 15 square miles in size, and territory boundaries are communicated through scent-marking.
Diet:
Otters hunt singly or in pairs, and feed on a wide range of aquatic animals, from fish to amphibians, aquatic reptiles and arthropods, shellfish, and even small mammals.
Reproduction:
River otters primarily den in the abandoned burrows of other animals. Mating appears to takes place in the winter and spring, but implantation can be delayed for up to a year, if conditions are not favorable to pregnancy. Gestation takes about 60 days, and young are typically born in early spring, an average of 2 per litter. The female takes care of the young exclusively for the first few months of their life, until they are weaned and old enough to emerge from the den, at which point the male may return to help raise the pups. This family unit tends to remain together until the birth of the next litter, at which point the previous litter's offspring will disperse. Individuals reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years of age.
Associated Species:
North American river otters share the same general habitat needs as beavers and muskrats, and often will inhabit their abandoned dens. While otters primarily predate upon fish and aquatic invertebrates, they are known to take waterfowl as prey as well.
Illustration by Willow Sedam
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