River Otter Of Wisconsin
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River Otter One Of The North America Animals
The River Otter - The otter in this picture tends to show up every time the river opens up do to warmer weather. Sometimes there has been as many as seven animals at this location. Due to the river currents beneath the ice in this area this happens often every winter.
You'll find river otter of Wisconsin mostly in the northern parts of the state in streams, rivers, marshes, lakes, and ponds where you may see a sleek, dark brown critter with a long, tapered, muscular body gliding just below the water surface. The river otter, is a member of the weasel family, and is equally versatile in the water as on land.
They often appear on the ice in the winter near open water with a fish.
When you're paddling along in your kayak or canoe in Wisconsin's rivers, lakes and streams, look carefully--wild otters are not often seen because they are very secretive. If you do see one, you will not soon forget the experience.
They are less common in the southwestern and central two-thirds of the state. They are rarely found in Door County and the southern and southeastern half of the state.
You'll find river otter of Wisconsin mostly in the northern parts of the state in streams, rivers, marshes, lakes, and ponds where you may see a sleek, dark brown critter with a long, tapered, muscular body gliding just below the water surface. The river otter, is a member of the weasel family, and is equally versatile in the water as on land.
They often appear on the ice in the winter near open water with a fish.
When you're paddling along in your kayak or canoe in Wisconsin's rivers, lakes and streams, look carefully--wild otters are not often seen because they are very secretive. If you do see one, you will not soon forget the experience.
They are less common in the southwestern and central two-thirds of the state. They are rarely found in Door County and the southern and southeastern half of the state.
Facts About Otters
Physical Appearance
North American river otters are semi-aquatic mammals, with long, streamlined bodies, thick tapered tails, and short legs. They have wide, rounded heads, small ears, and nostrils that can be closed underwater. The fur is dark brown to almost black in some areas of the body. The throat and cheeks are usually a golden brown. The fur is dense but soft, effectively insulating these animals in water. The feet have claws and are completely fully webbed.They are the largest member of the weasel family with 2-4 inch whiskers and a light tan cheek, chin, throat, and belly patch and thick muscular tail.
Otters measure about 3-4 feet long with a 12-18 inch tail and the males average larger than females in all measurements.
What Do Otters Eat?
Normal Food of the Otter
Otters munch from an aquatic menu. Their favorites are fish such as suckers, minnows, sunfish, bass, and minnows. Their second choice is crayfish, then frogs and miscellaneous animals. They sometimes eat aquatic plants.They like to forage near shorelines, overhanging banks, and areas where fish are found. They have been known to eat birds, bird eggs and vegetation also. Otters need about 3 square miles to find all of this food.
Their prey is captured with the mouth using the whiskers to detect organisms in the substrate and the dark water. Prey is eaten immediately after capture, usually in the water, or on the ice, but larger prey is eaten on land. These whiskers are used extensively in hunting, as smell, vision, and hearing are diminished in the water
They are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for up to 4 to 8 minutes. They've actually been known to dive to depths of more than 40 feet.
Communications Methods
Otter Talk
The river otter of Wisconsin communicate in a variety of ways as they do where ever they are found.
They vocalize with whistles, growls, chuckles, grunts, snorts and screams.
They also use touch and communicate through posture and other body signals, urination deposits, and other such markings.
They have alarm signals and hurt sounds.
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They vocalize with whistles, growls, chuckles, grunts, snorts and screams.
They also use touch and communicate through posture and other body signals, urination deposits, and other such markings.
They have alarm signals and hurt sounds.
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Where Do Otters Live
Home Burrows
They build dens in the burrows of other mammals, in natural hollows, under a log, or in a river bank that has an underwater entrance and a tunnel leading to a nest chamber that is lined with leaves, grass, moss, bark, and hair.
Otter Information
Reproduction
Males and females do not associate except during the mating season. Males often breed with more than one female, probably those whose home ranges overlap with their own.
Males and females come together to breed in late winter or early spring.
Gestation lasts two months, but the young can be born up to a year after mating because otters can employ delayed implantation of the fertilized egg.
Births will normally be from November to May, peaking in March and April.
Females give birth from 1 to 6 young per litter and with a average of 2 to 3 in a den..
The newborn are born with fur, but are otherwise helpless.
Young otters are born about 4.5 inches long, furry, with their eyes closed for about a month
Pups are weaned at 8-10 weeks and then they learn to swim. Some love the water and dive right in, while others have special attention to do so.
After about a year each otter will strike out on its own and establish its own territory, mature and later reproduce its own family.
Males and females come together to breed in late winter or early spring.
Gestation lasts two months, but the young can be born up to a year after mating because otters can employ delayed implantation of the fertilized egg.
Births will normally be from November to May, peaking in March and April.
Females give birth from 1 to 6 young per litter and with a average of 2 to 3 in a den..
The newborn are born with fur, but are otherwise helpless.
Young otters are born about 4.5 inches long, furry, with their eyes closed for about a month
Pups are weaned at 8-10 weeks and then they learn to swim. Some love the water and dive right in, while others have special attention to do so.
After about a year each otter will strike out on its own and establish its own territory, mature and later reproduce its own family.
Wisconsin Birds and Animals
- Wisconsin Wildlife Birds and Animals
- Things you may see in Wisconsin
Lifespan and Behavior
They are known as playful animals, exhibiting behaviors such as mud/snow sliding, burrowing through the snow, and water play. Many "play" activities actually serve some other purposes like strengthen social bonds, practice hunting techniques, and scent mark.
They like to wrestle, chase other otters, and play capture and release with live prey. In the winter, you'll find otters traveling overland by bounding 3-4 times, pushing off with their hind feet, and then sliding 5-15 feet on the snow. Downhill slides are a bonus, but otters rarely go back to the hilltop to slide down again, contrary to what people think. I personally have seem them slide on snow several times while snowmobiling.
This picture was taken 12-2011 just across the river from our house in Wisconsin.
Otter Stuff
Pick Your Otter Items
Other Otter Of The World
There are 13 known otter species: giant, marine, sea, hairy-nosed, smooth-coated, speckle-throated, northern river, southern river, neotropical river, African clawless, Congo clawless, Asian small-clawed and Eurasian. Living in the North I only have seen the river otter, many times on the river in front of my house.
Other North Woods Animals
You Otter Leave a Note
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Winter_Wonderland
Nov 22, 2010 @ 7:54 pm | delete
- i got sum good info out of here thx
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Shaelynn
Nov 22, 2010 @ 7:09 pm | delete
- Ya'll need a little more information on here. It didn't really tell me anything about the Communication of a River Otter. I am having to find this information for my Biodiversity Project! Please tell me more! :)
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Larry
Nov 22, 2010 @ 7:22 pm | delete
- Thanks for asking and visiting my site. Some items about the way they communicate can be found here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_River_Otter#Communication.
There was some things I choose not to present.
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Shaelynn
Nov 22, 2010 @ 7:55 pm | delete
- Alright, I'll look there. Thank You! :D
I did find some useful information on here though! :)
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Shaelynn
Nov 22, 2010 @ 8:14 pm | delete
- Alright, I'll look there. Thank You! :D
I did find some useful information on here though! :)
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riverman
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