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River Otters

                               This pic is from here

                                   River otters are semi-aquatic mammals that live along streams and lake borders. They have streamlined bodies, a thick tapered tail and short legs. River otters have rounded heads and bills and dark brown or black skin. Their throat and cheeks are a golden brown. Their feet and claws are completely webbed. Otters have noses that can be closed underwater. Their body length is from 889 to 1300mm. Their tail length is 300 to 507mm.  Their weight is 5to 14kg. Usually, males are bigger than females.

                                                                     This pic is from here                       

                                       River otters are omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and animals. Their animal diet consists of birds, mammals, anphibians, fish, eggs, insects, terrestrial non-insect anthropods, and aquatic crustaceans. Their plant diet consists of leaves, roots and tubers, and microalgae. River otters are eaten by bobcats, coyotes, birds of prey, alligators and other large animals. They can escape predation because of their agility on land and in the water.

                                                    River otters breed usually in the late winter or early spring. Births occur in November or May, with a peak in March and April. They are born with fur, but they are otherwise helpless. They reach sexual maturity at 2 to 3 years old.

                                            this pic is from here 

  Types of river otters:

                                                                    North American River Otter:  

                 The North American river otter is found, of course, in North America. It has inhabited coastal areas and inland waterways throughout Canada, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic States, the Gulf of Mexico and the US. In the US, they are common in states bordering the great lakes, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf of Mexico. In Alaska they are found in the Aleutian islands, and the northern slopes of the Brooke Range. In Canada, The North American river otter occupies all provinces and territories, except Prince Edward Island. However, urbanization and pollution have reduced range area. Otters are now absent or rare in Arizona, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. Here is a map of where they are found. The green shaded areas are their habitats.

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylem: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Mustelidae

Genus: Lontra 

Species: Lontra canadensis                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                   Southern River Otter:

      The Southern river otter is mostly found in southern parts of Argentina, and Chile. Although it is called a river otter, it inhabits both marine and freshwater environments. Instead of living in open areas, this otter prefers places that are dense with plants. The southern river otter is an endangered species, due to illegal hunting, water pollution, and habitat loss.

 Domain: Eukaryota

 Phylum: Chordata

 Class: Mammalia

 Order: Carnivora

 Family: Mustelidae

 Genus: Lontra

 Species: Lontra Provocax

       Neotropical River Otter:

 The Neotropical river otter is found in Central America, South America, and the island of Trinidad. This type of otter is found in many different rivers and streams, including those found in forests and savannas. This species prefers to live in clear, fast moving waters. It is also an endangered species.

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylem: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Mustelidae

Genus: Lontra

Species: Lontra Longicaudis

     European River Otter:

     The European river otter is an otter species found in Asia and Africa, as well as Latvia and the coast of Northern Britain, Norway, and Italy. They are extinct in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. They live along the coast, but are not sea otters. They are more aggressive than other otters, and are more territorial. Here is a map of their whereabouts.

                Japanese River Otter:

The Japanese river otter is not very well known. Some believe it to be extinct. The last sighting of this rare creature was in Kochi Prefecture in 1976.  Many agencies and protection groups have tried to find this creature, but there has been no luck. The reason for it being endangered is it was widely hunted in the olden days, because the Japanese used its fur for medicine to cure tuberculosis. Also, they were hunted by dogs and run over by cars in modern times.

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylem: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Mustelidae

Genus: Lontra

Species: Lutra lutra whiteleyi

                            Pictures and Videos:

                                http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~cindy/river-otters-crawford.jpg

  This pic is from http://www.antiquescollectibles.ca/animals/pics/Otter_1.jpg

 this is from http://static.handsoncards.com/site_media/images/blog/zoo_baby_otters1.jpg

I got this info from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_otter

and  http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Lontra_canadensis.html

also http://www.conservenature.org/otters/neotropical_river_otter.htm

and http://japan-animals.blogspot.com/2007/06/japanese-river-otter-lutra-nippon.html

and again http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Lontra_canadensis.html