Otter

by Mim White

Title

Otter

Artist

Mim White

Medium

Photograph

Description

River otters are the largest members of the weasel family found in New
Hampshire. They can weigh between 11 and 31 pounds and grow from 25 to 40 inches in length. They have thick, water repellant brown fur, webbed feet, and a powerful tail for swimming. They have agile paws that are also sensitive to touch. Their thick whiskers help them to navigate under water and on land. For food, river otters eat mostly fish, but they also partake of crayfish, mussels,
amphibians, or turtles if the opportunity arises. Like all weasels, river otters have long, slender bodies and are excellent hunters.
Although they are fairly common, few people are lucky enough to see river otters in action. These sleek hunters are active during dawn and dusk and spend much of their time in water side burrows out of the view of humans. They hunt mostly underwater and rest in burrows. Winter time, however, offers a few more opportunities to see these critters as they walk, run, bound, or slide
over ice or snow near the river or beaver dam impoundments. Some lucky outdoors people might witness younger otters engaged in a session of practice wrestling or chase with their siblings. River otters generally live 8 or 9 years in the wild. They have few natural predators in the water, but on land they can be preyed upon by bobcats, coyotes,dogs, and red foxes. Most rivers otters die from human caused factors such as road kill, trapping, illegal shooting, or from an accumulation of toxins that were eaten by the fish that were later eaten by the otters.

Uploaded

December 27th, 2016

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