The Zoo is
CLOSED
for the winter season.
Visit us when we
reopen in April 2010.

North American River Otter

Scientific Name:	Lutra canadensis
Range:	Canada and United States
Habitat:	River banks, lakeshores, and coasts
Natural Diet:	Fish, crayfish, frogs, snakes, lizards, and insects
Zoo Diet:	Canned carnivore diet, biscuits, and capelin
Physical Characteristics:	Otters are 26-43 inches in length, and their tails add another 12-18 inches. They weigh 11-30 pounds. They have red-brown or gray-brown to black velvety fur on the back, silvery or gray-brown fur on the underparts, and silver tinged or yellow-gray cheeks and throat.
Behavior:	North American river otters are solitary (live alone) except during mating time. During mating season, they make squeaks and whistles. They maintain a territory of 3-15 miles. They live in burrows, under a pile of rocks or a thicket near water, or in an abandoned beaver den.
Reproduction:	Females deliver litters of one to six young. The males do not help raise the young. When the young are about two months old, the mother pushes them into the water, forcing them to learn how to swim.
Notes:	Their muscular tails help them swim. River otters have other characteristics that help them in the water: webbed feet, water repellent fur, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. In the winter, they remain active using ice holes to surface and breathe. They can hold their breath underwater for about eight minutes.