Habitat

 The Otter can be found on coasts, rivers ,Lakes preferabley on undisturbed water where there is plenty of cover .

Distribution in the uk

Can be found all over the uk in small numbers but are very scarce but are abubdant in Scotland .

  Months seen

All year round more commonly seen in the summer before dusk and on the coast in the autumn and winter feeding .

Food eaten

Otters feed on eels, fish, crustaceans , birds, frogs and water insects.

Habits

Otters are shy and nocturnal carvivores which makes them fantastically good hunters and they can stay underwater for 4 minutes as they have large lungs that help it to swim and hunt for there underwater prey . They are also very territorial and one male may have more than 2 females to rear his cubs

 Tracking

 Otters can be found by looking for prints next to rivers  in the mud as there exits and  entrances to the water can be found easily because they leave well worn steep muddy edges on river banks where they also use for play in the breeding season by cubs. Large rocks or boulders on the waters edge next to rivers and estuarys can show signs of otters where they usually leave there dark slimy droppings which have a strong fishy smell to mark there territorys and also you can find food remains on rocks nearby to there holt.

Courtship

The female otter builds a holt which usually has one entrance and have an underground entrance and on rivers that flood  they usually have 2 entrances due to the holt being liable to flooding meaning the cubs have a better chance of escaping if they are to young to escape themselves .Otters give birth to one litter of 2 to 4 cubs a year in the spring which are born with no teeth and blind. They are taught to swim after twelve weeks and continue living with the mother for a year when she teaches the cubs how to hunt as the male leaves the female to look after the cubs after birth and once the cubs are adults the male will chase them from his territory.

 Check out our Otter pages Below :

 PhPhotographs taken by Mike Mottram , Darek Karp ,dartraffe, Otterburn Cottage ,ATEC