iNorthern River Otter
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Subfamily: Lutrinae Genus: Lontra Species: L. canadensis
Binomial name
Lontra canadensis (Schreber, 1777)

The Northern River Otter, Lontra canadensis, is a North American member of the Mustelidae or weasel family. It is also known as the North American River Otter. This species can be found all across North America, inhabiting inland waterways and coastal areas in Canada, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of Mexico. However, their numbers have significantly dropped since Europeans came to the Americas. (Linzey, 2002) Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2262x2048, 4017 KB) North American River Otters, Lontra canadensis (per Schreber, 1777. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which do not qualify for any other category. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... {{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Orders Multituberculata (extinct) Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Australosphenida Ausktribosphenida Monotremata Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Arctostylopida (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Cingulata Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Leptictida (extinct) Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata... This tigers sharp teeth and strong jaws are the classical physical traits expected from carnivorous mammalian predators A carnivore (IPA: ), meaning meat eater (Latin carne meaning flesh and vorare meaning to devour), is an animal that eats a diet consisting mainly of meat, whether it comes from live animals... Subfamilies Lutrinae Melinae Mellivorinae Taxidiinae Mustelinae Mustelidae is a family of carnivorous mammals. ... Genera Amblonyx Aonyx Enhydra Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura Otters are aquatic or marine carnivorous mammals, members of the large and diverse family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers and others. ... Genera Amblonyx Aonyx Enhydra Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura Otters are aquatic or marine carnivorous mammals, members of the large and diverse family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers and others. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber (1739 - 1810) was a German naturalist. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Subfamilies Lutrinae Melinae Mellivorinae Taxidiinae Mustelinae Mustelidae is a family of carnivorous mammals. ... Official language(s) English Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,854 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... The Pacific Northwest from space This page is about the region that includes parts of Canada and the US. For the US only region, see Northwestern United States The Pacific Northwest (abbreviated PNW, or PacNW) or Cascadia is a region in the northwest of North America. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one_fifth of its surface. ... Gulf can refer to: A gulf or bay is a part of a lake or ocean that extends so that it is surrounded by land on three sides. ...

Description

L. canadensis have streamlined, muscular bodies with short legs, webbed toes and a long muscular tail. The North American river otter’s body measure is somewhere between 25.98" to 42.13", and their tail measure is between 12.40" to 18.11" (a river otter’s tail makes up 30 to 40% of the total length of its body). It can weigh between 6 and 31 pounds. River otters have a round and small head and eyes, short yet powerful legs, and have large whiskers. Otters have sexual dimorphism, as the male is larger than the female. They have glossy dark brown fur and their throat is often silver grey. Otters are powerful swimmers, but can also travel quickly on land and often propel themselves into a rapid slide on their bellies on snow or ice; they also like to slide down river banks into the water. North American river otters have nostrils that close underwater and their fur is soft and dense; both of these adaptations help them to live underwater. On land, the river otters can run up to 18 miles per hour. Their current life span is 10-15 years in the wild, but they can live up to 25 years in captivity. (Fact Sheet: North American River Otter) Male and female Common Pheasant, illustrating the large degree of sexual dimorphism between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...

Habitat

A river otter in Asseteague Wildlife Refuge

Northern river otters have their dens on land, and they hunt in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including lakes, rivers, inland wetlands and swamps, coastal marshes and even the open ocean. In many areas of the United States and Canada, the damming activities of the beaver creates ideal habitat for otters. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2048, 2384 KB) Lontra canadensis in Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, Brian Gratwicke File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2048, 2384 KB) Lontra canadensis in Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, Brian Gratwicke File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Lake Clearwater, Ontario, Canada A lake is a large body of water, usually fresh water, surrounded by land. ... For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A waterfall on the Ova da Fedoz, Switzerland A river is a large natural waterway. ... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... A freshwater swamp A swamp is a wetland that features permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water, generally with a substantial number of hummocks, or dry-land protrusions. ... This article is about marsh, a type of wetland. ... The worlds oceans as seen from the South Pacific Ocean, before the definition of the Southern Ocean in 2000 Oceans (from Okeanos in Greek, the ancient Greeks noticing the strong current that flowed off Gibraltar and assuming it was a great river) cover almost three quarters (71%) of the... Species C. canadensis C. fiber Beavers are semi-aquatic rodents native to North America and Europe. ...

Diet and natural history

Otters mainly eat fish but also eat insects, frogs, crustaceans and sometimes small mammals. On occasion some larger river otters will attack and kill water birds such as ducks, geese, and even herons. They are capable of swimming in circles, which creates a whirlpool-like motion that brings fish from the bottom of the water up to the top. They are generally more active at night, dusk and dawn, but are active during the day where undisturbed by human activity. They use musk and urine to mark the land bordering their territories. They often use dens built by other animals, sometimes killing beavers or muskrats to take over their lodges. Females evict males while babies are still young, the male will return later however to help care for them when half-grown. (Dewey, 2004) North American river otters usually mate once a year in late winter or usually early spring. Males often mate with several females during the breeding season. They have a gestation period of 2 months, and the pups are weaned for 3 months. The size of the litter can range from 1-6 pups, but usually there are only 2-3. (Dewey, 2004) There is a delay in the implantation of the fertilized egg, so that the young are born in late winter or early spring. Mating occurs in water. Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum [1]. They include organisms such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp and barnacles. ... Saltstraumen off Norway. ... Binomial name Castor canadensis Kuhl, 1820 A taxidermied American Beaver The American Beaver (Castor canadensis) is a large semi-aquatic rodent native to Canada, most of the United States and parts of northern Mexico. ... Binomial name Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) Muskrat range (native range in red, introduced range in green) Muskrat lodge, middle Patuxent River marsh, Maryland The Muskrat or Musquash (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra, is a large aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe. ... For other senses of this word, see winter (disambiguation). ... Spring is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. ... Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. ...

Personality

A river otter swimming underwater

Like their relatives, the weasels, river otters are highly active predators. If an otter is not sleeping, it's moving. They are very playful, chasing, sliding, swimming, jumping, wrestling. This makes them popular for exhibits. However, they are not friendly towards humans if raised in captivity. Usually a captive raised river otter becomes very aggressive towards humans when it reaches sexual maturity, and thus they do not make good pets. There are times when otters have remained tame through their adult life, or have been taken from the wild as adults. However, "tame" is a relative term, even the most human-friendly otter will still bite and scratch, sometimes quite badly. They can be highly curious animals and have been known to follow trout fisherman along the opposite bank. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2567x1350, 1168 KB) [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Northern River Otter Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2567x1350, 1168 KB) [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Northern River Otter Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or...

Conservation status

Otters were trapped for their highly-prized fur, which led to their disappearance from many parts of their historical range. Trapping is still permitted in some areas where otters remain abundant. In other areas, the otter is being restored to places where it may have long since been extirpated, such as the Hudson River. The North American river otter is not a nationally endangered species, but it is endangered in many states and it is threatened in others. Over-hunting, habitat destruction, and inadequate laws protecting the North American river otter are major factors. Ever since the discovery of the americas, hunters have captured and killed the otters for their pelts. Hunting is still a problem today, their pelts being worth $18.71 (USD) each. Over 30,000 otter pelts are sold each year in the United States and Canada. The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. ... An endangered species is a species whose population is so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct. ... A pelt is the skin of a (generally) wild animal. ...

Otters eat many game fish in the habitats that they live in. These game fish are better fish that people fish for food. Efforts have been made to bring the otter back from endangerment. Since 1986, the National Park Service has reintroduced over 100 North American river otters back into the wild. (Linzey, 2002) Northern River Otter from US NPS Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service. ... Northern River Otter from US NPS Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ...

Care In Captivity

Otters are only suited for professional exhibits or care. Their diet is flexible. Some groups feed their otters a variety of fresh water creatures in addition to live fish, while others live on a diet of pre-killed rodents. They need access to fresh water deep enough to swim and play in, and this water will need to be changed regularly or filtered. Some groups add chlorine to the water to reduce bacteria and algae growth, but this may result in skin problems for the otter. As they are very active, they are easy to train for medical exams, demonstrations, and behavioral enrichment. Common enrichment objects include ice with food frozen in it, floating balls, and segments of wide pipe. Families Many, see text The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Enrichment may mean: Education. ...

References

• Serfass (2004). Lontra canadensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Lontra canadensis

• An Otter Family Album One dedicated man's quest to chronicle the story of a family of wild river otters over a period of five generations. Never before have the daily lives and social organization of otters been so thoroughly and lovingly documented.
• NATURE: Yellowstone Otters Great resource on otters in general from pbs.org. This is a high quality source.
• Government Authority This site is the official government authority on endangered species across the country. No other site has as accurate information as this one does.
• Animaldiversity.edu Animaldiversity.edu is a site created by mostly college students for information about the diverse variety of animals on this earth. This site has the most precise statistics and information about the North American river otter.
• Zoo.org Zoo.org is the official national website about zoos. It has fact sheets on tons of animals. These fact sheets are chock full of data so I highly recommend them.
• Otternet.com Otternet.com has information about all sorts of species of otters, not just the North American river one. However, the most important aspect of this site is all of the pictures on this site. The pictures will help you more than the data.
• INHS This website has great information about almost every aspect of the North American river otter. This is a great well-rounded site.