Otters in our waters

For the past month, employees of The River Reporter have been treated to the playful antics of three otters that appeared in Little Lake Erie behind the newspaper’s office in Narrowsburg, NY.

The sleek and graceful animals are perceived to be carefree and fun loving. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), “Otters slide on ice or snow, shoot down slick muddy banks into creeks, play with food, sticks and stones and wrestle each other.”

Paul Rezendes, author of “Tracking and the Art of Seeing,” has repeatedly observed playful otter behaviors. “They’ll pick up a small pebble from the bottom of a pond, bring it to the surface and drop it, then swim down under it and catch it on their forehead. They’ll flip and turn with the pebble still on their forehead as they bring it up to the surface, then drop it again and start all over.”

Lutra canadensis is an aquatic mammal that can dive 35-50 feet, travel up to a quarter mile without coming up for air and remain submerged up to four minutes.

Otters den along the edges of lakes, streams and rivers that contain fish, frogs, snails, snakes, turtles, crayfish and other forms of aquatic life, including eggs, worms, insects and plants. Males weigh up to 25 pounds, averaging 30 to 40 inches in length, with tails extending another 12 to 15 inches. Females are slightly smaller.