Otter

NORTHERN RIVER OTTER

//Lontra canadensis//

This animal is a secondary consumer. It mainly eats fish, insects, frogs, crustaceans, and occasionally other mammals.

Description: This is a native animal usually found in rivers and lakes. It is usually quite small, consisting of a small aquatic almost catlike creature, usually between 26 and 42 inches across, with its tail being up to 40 percent of that. It is the smallest type of otter. Its fur is glossy and dark brown, and the throat is often silver gray. It tends to eat oysters, clam, and other aquatic animals. This animal reproduces by sexual reproduction. Small colonies of otters usually form, as they work well in groups.

Habitat & Range: Common throughout North America, although in the 1800s, it nearly became extinct. Habitats include lakes and rivers, small ponds, and some species of otter use the ocean.

Adaptations & Behavior: River otters are usually independent, although some congregate in small groups. The males completely ignore the females and young for most of the year.

Ecological Interactions: It eats seafood and such. It swims in lakes and provides a home for various parasites and provides feces for insects to feast on. Yum.

Author: Erik Castine

Sources:

Wikipedia � Northern River Otter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_river_otter

River Otter Habits: http://www.geocities.com/bobarnebeck/habits.html

Picture: http://www.lilytherese.com/Copy_of_Otter_river_photo.jpg