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Daikaiju-fanboy — North American River Otter

Published: 2012-05-16 03:43:43 +0000 UTC; Views: 245; Favourites: 7; Downloads: 5
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Description One of the two River Otters that the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo has on hand. These guys were quite cooperative for the shoot in spite of moving around a lot in their exhibit swimming around and playing with one another.

Information:


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.

Picture taken at Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and information is courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo website [link]
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Comments: 2

lizardman22 [2012-05-17 08:24:57 +0000 UTC]

Otter: What's that over there?

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Daikaiju-fanboy In reply to lizardman22 [2012-05-20 14:02:10 +0000 UTC]

Those are people coming to check you and your friend out.

👍: 0 ⏩: 0