Specie's Page                                               North America - North American River Otter

North American River Otter:  

UK Status: Non resident to the UK, and lives in Canada and parts of the USA.

Habitat: This otter is to be found over most of Canada and the coastline of the USA, also inhabiting inland waterways. They are at home on land as well as in the water, and feed mainly on fish, but will eat amphibians, snails, salamanders and turtles.

Breeding: When a territory is established a breeding den is procured,  and is a chamber with multiple tunnel entrances. These dens are usually located by water, and the otter give birth to one to six otters at a time. Female otters do not dig their own dens, but utilise burrows made by other animals such as beavers. Females raise their young alone, and introduce their pups to the water when they are about two months old.

Comment: The range of this otter has been significantly reduced by habitat loss, and environmental pollution, and also from fur trapping, and is not as common as it was.