Northern River Otters (Lontra canadensis)
By Cindy Murray, Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area
By Cindy Murray, Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area
Our local native otters can often be seen frolicking in the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. Otters are part of the Mustelid family along with weasels, martins and minks. While fish make up a large part of an otter’s diet, they also forage aquatic insects, crayfish and waterfowl. Evidence of their recent meals can be found in their “spraint.”. Yes, you guessed correctly, scat or droppings which can be found around a communal area where otters gather to socialize and sleep.
Otter females generally give birth to as many as four pups in mid Spring. She nurtures her young without any help from the males. With a healthy population of otters, females may raise pups together in “holts,” which are a system of burrows in the river bank with many entrances.
Since otters do not have a thick layer of fat to keep warm, they rely on a dense layer of fur to insulate their bodies. They groom this luxurious fur to keep clean and maintain warmth. Otters rely on healthy clean rivers for an abundant source of food to raise their pups.
When you are walking along our beautiful rivers, pause, quietly relax and perhaps you will be rewarded with the entertaining play antics of an otter with her pups on the opposite
Otter females generally give birth to as many as four pups in mid Spring. She nurtures her young without any help from the males. With a healthy population of otters, females may raise pups together in “holts,” which are a system of burrows in the river bank with many entrances.
Since otters do not have a thick layer of fat to keep warm, they rely on a dense layer of fur to insulate their bodies. They groom this luxurious fur to keep clean and maintain warmth. Otters rely on healthy clean rivers for an abundant source of food to raise their pups.
When you are walking along our beautiful rivers, pause, quietly relax and perhaps you will be rewarded with the entertaining play antics of an otter with her pups on the opposite
