A chestnut colored, furry blur races past you as you are paddling your boat in a North American lake. You wonder what it could be! It is most likely a North American River Otter. In this essay, I will be informing you about this interesting member of the weasel family. The North American River Otter’s color can vary from light brown to almost black, and they have wide, rounded heads, small ears and nostrils that can be closed underwater. The females are usually around 3.2 feet long, are 11-30 pounds, and their tail is almost ⅓ of their total length! The males are bigger than the females at 3.7 feet long, 12-32 pounds, and their tail is also ⅓ of their total length. They also have webbed feet to help them go faster in the water, and waterproof, velvety fur that keeps them warm and dry.
The River Otter’s diet includes fish, crayfish, crabs, frogs, birds’ eggs, birds and even reptiles! They chase their prey by swimming up to 6 miles per hour! They then catch their prey with their sharp teeth and vibrissae to find and catch their prey. Vibrissae is the whiskers of an animal used as an organ of touch. The River Otter is a carnivore, meaning it eats meat. This otter’s predators include alligators, bobcats, and birds of prey. The otters are very hard to catch, however, because they are so agile in the water. …show more content…
It lives for about 8-9 years in the wild, while in captivity, they usually live about 10-25 years. This is because in captivity, they do not have to provide for themselves. They also cannot be hunted, hurt by pollution, or killed by predators. This is why many zoos have river otters. When the zoos breed and release the otters, the otter population starts increasing slightly. River otters can either be diurnal or nocturnal, but they are usually nocturnal. They sleep wrapped in kelp or seaweed while floating on their
The River Otter’s diet includes fish, crayfish, crabs, frogs, birds’ eggs, birds and even reptiles! They chase their prey by swimming up to 6 miles per hour! They then catch their prey with their sharp teeth and vibrissae to find and catch their prey. Vibrissae is the whiskers of an animal used as an organ of touch. The River Otter is a carnivore, meaning it eats meat. This otter’s predators include alligators, bobcats, and birds of prey. The otters are very hard to catch, however, because they are so agile in the water. …show more content…
It lives for about 8-9 years in the wild, while in captivity, they usually live about 10-25 years. This is because in captivity, they do not have to provide for themselves. They also cannot be hunted, hurt by pollution, or killed by predators. This is why many zoos have river otters. When the zoos breed and release the otters, the otter population starts increasing slightly. River otters can either be diurnal or nocturnal, but they are usually nocturnal. They sleep wrapped in kelp or seaweed while floating on their