[River Otter]
Scientific Name: Lutra canadensis
Size:Adults are three to four feet long
Weight: 15 - 25 pounds
Lifespan: 15 years in the wild; 25 years in captivity
Habitat: shores of deep, clear rivers; lakes, large marshes (including the Suisun Marsh), and ocean bays.
Diet: Carnivores
· Main food source: fish, but also crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, birds and insects.
· Feeding time: early evening until early morning, though they are active most of the day.

Physical Appearance: the otter's body is long and slender. The otter's face has a prominent nose with long whiskers, and the ears are small.
· Fur: Dense and oily to protect the otter in cold weather. The back side is usually a darker shade of brown, and the underside is usually a lighter brown or gray color.
· Tail: 12- to 18 inches long, heavy and completely furred. It is flat on the bottom and thick at the base, tapering toward the tip.
· Legs: short with five webbed toes on each foot.

Behavior: Otters are very good swimmers. Their ears and nose close when they dive and they stay underwater for about four minutes. They are graceful at what they do. They use their sensitive whiskers to locate food underwater. Their sense of smell is better than their sense of sight and hearing. They spend a lot of their time playing, including wrestling, chasing each other, tossing and diving for rocks and clamshells, or sliding.
Reproduction: river otters reach sexual maturity when they are two years old. The breeding seasion usually occurs in March or April.
· Litter size: one to six
· Gestation: After conception the fertilized egg floats in the uterus for about nine months before it implants in the uterine wall. Gestation is about 60 days and the young are born about one year after conception.
Family life: otters are helpless at birth and do not open their eyes until they are about three weeks old. They venture from the den when they are about two months old. The females are devoted parents, though males also care for the young. The family usually stays together until the birth of a new litter.

Extra Facts:
· Otters sleep more than half of their life
· Otters have a pair of anal glands that release an awful smell for protection when threatened.
· The otters biggest threat are humans

This website was created by Lauren L. in Mrs. Link's Multimedia Class, Period 1 at Fairfield High School in Fairfield, CA. Other great websites about River Otters include:
The River Otter by Nebraska Wildlife Center http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/otters.html
The River Otter by http://www.luddist.com/otter.htm. Take the Otter Quiz at the bottom of the page!
Photo of river otter from CalPhotos, California Academy of Sciences by Gerald and Buff Corsi