Training Trip
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favorite
food
fish and crustaceans
habitat
freshwater regions
of the northern United States and Canada
Length
of time an otter can stay under water.
2 minutes
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Lesson
Plans
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| We have been seeing a lot of river otter
tracks during our training trip River otters are the most
playful animals in the Boreal
Forest . In the winter they slide on their
bellies on the ice to make travel much faster. In fact,
when they get up enough speed they can run and slide a
distance of 27 feet! We have not seen any slides that
long, but we have seen plenty of places where the otters
have been running and sliding on their bellies. |
Click on photo to enlarge
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| Some times the dogs get really excited when we come
across otter tracks and try to change directions to follow
the tracks. When this happens we have to tell our lead
dogs, Saylix and Fennel," On by!" which they
know means keep going. |
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Otters
are part of the same family of animals as weasels, badgers,
and pine martens known as mustelids. They have streamlined
bodies that allow them to be excellent swimmers. They
weigh between 11-30 pounds. The males weigh more than
the females. Otters
are dark brown with paler brown bellies. The otter we
saw today was probably be a male because we think he
weighed between 20 and 25 pounds.
They have small eyes and ears and long tails. Their
ears and noses have adapted to keep water out with valves
that close when they are underwater. Otters
have very noticeable whiskers that are long and white.
Not only are otters the most playful animals, they are
also very cute!
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Click on photo to enlarge
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River otters are found in lakes, streams, rivers, and
ponds in forested areas. They also spend a lot of time
on land.
River otters are found all along the east coast of
the US, northern parts of the Midwest, in the Pacific
Northwest, and most of Canada. They live in dens
along the banks of rivers and lakes. Sometimes otters
will dig their own dens
, or use hollow logs, overhanging roots, or other empty
animal burrows
. The dens
have underwater and aboveground entrances. During the
winter, otters can breathe in the space between the
bottom of the ice and the lowering water.
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