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river otter (thing)
See all of river otter
, there is 1 more in this node.
(
thing
)
by
Inyo
Sat Oct 21 2000 at 0:47:52
TAXONOMIC DESCRIPTION:
Long
,
sleek
, with short
legs
, a
thick
tapering
tail
,
whiskers
on
nose
, and
webbed feet
. Somewhat similar in appearance to
weasel
or
mink
. Resident of mainly
riparian
wetlands
, extremely well adapted for agility in
water
. Sometimes observed in
play
, however this is much less common in wild otters than in
captive
s. River otters spend most of their time in water, but den in
burrow
s or
cavities
on land. These
animal
s are rarely seen in the wild as they are very
elusive
, however evidence of them is often seen in '
spraints
' ([droppings[) placed in prominent places as markers of territory, sometimes deposited on pilings of rock, sand, or grass. These can be analyzed to determine the otter's diet. Also sometimes found are the otter's tracks and
slides
around
riverbank
s.
Otters are important predators in
riparian
ecosystems as they consume a wide range of wetland animals and have few natural predators. The Eurasian Otter],
Lutra lutra
, inhabits
Europe
and
Asia
, and is very similar to the North American variety
HABITAT
:
River Otters, true to their name, generally live in
creek
or
river
areas or small
pond
s, in a
den
near the water, and spend most of their time in the water. They are also occasionally found along coastlines, although they are not to be confused with the
sea otter
,
Enhydra lutris
, which only lives along the
Pacific
coast and virtually never leaves the
ocean
.
DISTRIBUTION:
Riverine
habitats throughout mainly the northern portion of
North America
. Under some classification schemes, river otters in
Central
and
South America
are also included in this species.
REPRODUCTION:
Male
otters find
females
in
estrus
by
scent
.
Courtship
consists of much chasing and playing.
Mating
is quite intense and
copulation
may last up to a half-hour. The pair may
mate
several times while together. American river otters may have an extremely long
gestation
period of up to a year due to the fact that the
fertillized egg
may wait several months before implanting in the
uterus
. An average of two to three young are usually
borne
in the spring and cared for by the
mother
for three or four months
FEEDING HABITS:
Carnivorous
, preferring
fish
such as
salmon
,
trout
, and
eel
s but also feeding on
invertebrate
s,
amphibian
s,
bird
s, and even small
mammal
s such as
muskrat
s or
rabbit
s.
USES:
Once extensively trapped for
fur
and also hunted for sport (mainly European variety), otters now are valued more for their natural
eloquence
and
charismatic
mannerisms
than for their fur coats.
Fry's Electronics plushie
Myron
George Washington's 1794 State of the Union Address
self-extracting executable
FurToonia
Tule Fog
Throwing Copper
Avon
Muskrat
River
otter
Two-party system
Xanth