North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis
-Streamlined bodies, webbed hind feet, and water-resistant fur = great swimmers!
-All otters have very dense fur which help to insulate them in their cold water environments
-They use their muscular tails as rudders to turn sharply in the water
-Otters can close their ears and nostrils to keep water out as they dive and swim underwater for up to 8 minutes!
-These are semi-aquatic mammals found in most of the U.S., parts of Canada, and parts of Mexico
-Because of their high metabolism, otters eat frequently, feeding on protein-rich diets:
- fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs
-These otter females have the ability to delay implantation of eggs until the appropriate conditions arise.
-Mating Season: late winter-early spring
-Offspring: litters of 1-3 pups in late spring to early summer
HERE AT ALAMEDA:
The female otter you see is named 'Susie'. She is 15 years old. Susie exhibits much curiosity which is typical for otters. If you catch her at lunchtime, you may see her munching on mussels or saltwater mackerel.Oscar is the male and he loves playing with Susie in the water and displaying great agility and graceful swimming under water.
Lontra canadensis
-Streamlined bodies, webbed hind feet, and water-resistant fur = great swimmers!
-All otters have very dense fur which help to insulate them in their cold water environments
-They use their muscular tails as rudders to turn sharply in the water
-Otters can close their ears and nostrils to keep water out as they dive and swim underwater for up to 8 minutes!
-These are semi-aquatic mammals found in most of the U.S., parts of Canada, and parts of Mexico
-Because of their high metabolism, otters eat frequently, feeding on protein-rich diets:
- fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs
-These otter females have the ability to delay implantation of eggs until the appropriate conditions arise.
-Mating Season: late winter-early spring
-Offspring: litters of 1-3 pups in late spring to early summer
HERE AT ALAMEDA:
The female otter you see is named 'Susie'. She is 15 years old. Susie exhibits much curiosity which is typical for otters. If you catch her at lunchtime, you may see her munching on mussels or saltwater mackerel.Oscar is the male and he loves playing with Susie in the water and displaying great agility and graceful swimming under water.
Sea otters have larger, heavier bodies with fur that is much denser (160,000 - 1 million hairs per square inch depending on location on the body!). River otters are smaller, more slender and have fur that is still dense but less hairs per square inch (100,000 - 450,000 hairs per square inch depending on what part of the body!).
Humans only have about 100,00-150,000 hairs on their entire head!
This picture shows a river otter (left) and a sea otter (right)
Humans only have about 100,00-150,000 hairs on their entire head!
This picture shows a river otter (left) and a sea otter (right)