NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/377644
OCTOBER 2014 • NEBRASKAland 21 range, survival, dispersal and habitat needs of otters here in the Northern Prairie region of the Great Plains, where little such research into the species had been conducted. Learning about the habitat needs of the species was especially important in the Central Platte River region, where numerous conservation efforts by the Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, conservation groups and individuals were restoring riverine habitat and could affect otter populations either positively or negatively. "We didn't know exactly what types of habitats were most important to otters or where we should focus our efforts for conserving or creating habitat," Wilson said. So in 2006, a telemetry study was launched on a 20-mile stretch of the Platte River in central Nebraska between Shelton and Grand Island. Individual landowners, The Nature Conservancy and The Crane Trust Veterinarian Mark Falloon sutures the incision on a river otter after implanting a radio transmitter. Falloon and fellow Lincoln vet Micah Kohles volunteered to help with the surgeries, as did other vets from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The North American river otter (Lontra Canadensis) is a member of the Mustelidae family which, in Nebraska, also includes the mink, weasel, skunk and badger. Status: Currently listed as threatened in Nebraska. Size: 35 to 53 inches long, including 12- to 18-inch tail, 11 to 30 pounds, males slightly larger. Description: Dark brown fur on the upper part of their streamlined bodies, with a gray to brown underside; small ears and a long, tapered, furred tail; short legs with five webbed toes. Dense, oily fur has 10,000 hairs per square inch, which, along with a fat layer under the skin, helps keep otters warm in icy water. Eyes atop their head help them see above water when partially submerged. Reproduction: Reach sexual maturity at age 2. Females breed in third year. Breeding occurs in March or April but through delayed implantation, fertilized eggs float in uterus for 9 months before implanting on wall, followed by a 60 day gestation. Litters of one to six young, but most often two to three, are born helpless, open their eyes at 3 weeks, emerge from den for first time at 60 days, and can care for themselves at 5 to 6 months. Often stay with family longer, dispersing at 12 to 13 months. Diet: Mostly fish and crayfish, but these opportunistic feeders also eat amphibians, insects, mammals and birds. Excellent swimmers, otters capture fish by sight and pursuit in clear water, and can use their whiskers to locate prey in murky water. Can stay underwater for up to four minutes and dive to depths of 60 feet at speeds of nearly seven miles per hour. Habitat: Live in underground dens, often those built by beavers, on the banks of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, sandpits, marshes and sloughs. Communication: Vocalize through a variety of sounds, including chirps, grunts and snarls. Life span: Average of 8 to 9 years and up to 14 years in the wild, 25 years in captivity. Otter Facts PHOTO BY ERIC FOWLER