|
click for sitemap
Open
Daily
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
|
 |
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. |
|
|
|
|
