Canadian Otter Factfile
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Scientific Name : Lontra canadensis
World Distribution
Canadian otters are found in Canada and some parts of North America.
Habitat
They
live near rivers and lakes, making dens in the riverbank known as holts.
They are fairly adaptable, in that so long as they are near water, they can
live in quite a wide range of habitats, including very cold or hot areas.
Feeding
Their
main diet consists of creatures from the water, such as fish, frogs, crayfish
and turtles. They also eat the occasional bird, rodent or rabbit.
They have very strong, sharp teeth for grabbing and eating their prey.
Predators
Occasionally
otters might be preyed upon by mountain lions, bears or eagles (especially
young otters).
For centuries, man has hunted otters for their skins.
Breeding
Males and females keep to their own territories for most of the year, but come together to mate in the early spring.
The fertilised egg, however, does not start developing straight away, so the young are not born until the following year. Baby otters are born blind, and are fairlly helpless for the first couple of months. When they are big enough to venture out of the nest their mother teaches them to hunt and swim. They leave her when they are a year old, and start to breed themselves when they are 2 or 3.
There are between 1 and 5 in a litter.