Having this information about neighbors decreases fights, allows female otters and their pups to stay safe, and lets groups of bachelors broadcast their availability and territorial boundaries. Otters certainly weren’t on my mind this week during a search for breeding birds at Hidden Valley Preserve in Washington. River otters will achieve maturity between the ages of two and three, while female sea otters mature between ages three and five, and males even later between ages five and seven. Weight can vary from 8 to 40 pounds with males larger than females. Having been threatened with extinction in the late 1950’s, numbers have slowly recovered, and following a ban on hunting in 1978 and improvements to river quality, otters can now be found in every British county. Description: The river otter is the largest member of the weasel family (Mustelidae) found in Connecticut. River otters are three to four feet long and weigh 15 to 25 pounds. You see, they contain lots of DNA picked up as it moves through the animal. Scientists aren’t sure, but they think that this goo protects the inside of the otter from the sharp bones and shells that pass through on the way to their poop chute. Humans produce water and other pollutants that effect nature that are detrimental to otters. I’ve had good luck seeing otters in Connecticut, but the total number of sightings remains low. This also includes the ear bones of the fish that the otters eat. One of the most popular parts of the park is deserted. By counting the rings on the fish’s scales and ear bones, scientists can learn the age of fish that the otters eat. Poop can tell us about the health of river otters and their land and water homes too. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, River Otters Take Party Pooping To A New Level, The Secret Lives of River Otters (And Their Parasites), The Inspiring Quest to Revive the Hawaiian Language, The New Science of Our Ancient Bond With Dogs, Why Seagrass Could Be the Ocean's Secret Weapon Against Climate Change. 26-ene-2018 - North American River Otter - CT's Beardsley Zoo It has a jelly-like consistency and is thought to be the shedding of the otter’s intestinal lining, along with some undigested bits of food, and anal secretions to add a personal fragrance (eau de otter). During the winter, they may leave ponds and lakes that freeze over for the open water of rivers and streams. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent found in and along its waterways and coasts. These creatures inhabit a wide range of aquatic habitats. Night camera footage by Karen McDonald. Audubon For All. Many of the parasites that get into river otters (from what they eat) can also infect other mammals, including humans. Otters certainly weren’t on my mind this week during a search for breeding birds at Hidden Valley Preserve in Washington. Nurse brags on TikTok about defying COVID-19 restrictions, put on administrative leave However, groups also mean they face competition for resources, which range from mates and space to food. But my thoughts turned quickly to another beautiful woodland setting many decades ago at Shohola Falls in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. 1347 River Otter Ct , Mount Pleasant, SC 29466-7989 is currently not for sale. The vacant lot last sold on 11/1/2019 for $225,000, with a recorded lot size of 0.06 acres (2,711 sq. Because the poop of river otters can tell us important health information about the presence of parasites, they are critical sentinels, or “watch weasels” (instead of watch dogs), in the Chesapeake Bay. Some even wonder if otters build dams like beavers. So many things, it’s like reading a really gross open book! Otter penis bones are becoming less dense and more breakable due to toxic chemicals trickling into rivers from oil hubs in Canada - and it could have … Thus otters both prey on and protect salmon. It was otter scat. But for some animals, pooping is a social event. When I was growing up in rural northwestern New Jersey, mammal encounters were pretty limited. The river otter Lontra canadensis is an elusive species that can serve an important role in aquatic ecosystems as a top predator of fish and crayfish. River otter poop also contains lots of DNA, from what the otters have eaten and from the otters themselves. Indeed, The … | Photography and/or videography © 2020 Tour VA Homes — All rights reserved. Both otters have their own adorable way of caring for their young and making them feel at home, too. To keep things tidy, humans have developed special rooms and solitary rituals for pooping. All of that has changed now, both there and in my adopted home state of Connecticut. It’s December, minus eleven.