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NORTHERN RIVER OTTER Lutra canadensis |
www.enature.com/fieldguide |
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www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azotter.html |
The Northern river otter is found in Alaska, most of Canada, and all the way south to California. The Northern river otter’s habitat is primarily along pond, rivers, and lakes in areas that are wooded. They will also roam far from the water to look for prey, and play. The Northern river otter’s predators are the Bald Eagle, some bears, and coyotes. The Northern river otter eats crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, small fish, eggs, mollusks, and small birds. The Northern river otter’s body is three to four feet in length, and their tail is their tail is one to one and a half feet long. They weigh ten to 25 pounds when they are full grown. Their webbed feet help them swim well in the water.
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Their bellies are a light brown, cream, or gray color. They have small closeable ears and nostrils. They have very sensitive whiskers, and a long furry tail. The northern river otter’s whiskers are very stiff, and detect movements of prey in the water. The Northern river otter’s dense fur helps to keep them warm, along with their high metabolism. Their fur is very velvety, and thick. River otters were hunted for their dense fur, which kept people warm. The Northern river otter uses sound, smell, and touch to communicate with each other. The river otter’s eyes are adapted to underwater vision, so above water they are nearsighted. They can remain underwater for up to eight minutes. They can swim all the way up to seven miles per hour!! The northern river otter normally takes over the den of a beaver, or musk rat for shelter, and to give birth to their young. The Northern river otter’s habitats are being taken over for housing or farming and industrial uses. River otters spend over half of their lives just sleeping. That is almost ten years of sleeping!!! River otter’s fossils date all the way back to the Pleistocene period. Their fossils have been uncovered from 200 B.C. all they way to the 1400’s.
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