River Otters

River Otters usually live alone or in small social groups and love to play! If you ever observe them in the wild, they love to roll around, chase each other, and play games. River otters typically communicate with each other through yelps, whistles, and growls but also through touch, such as grooming each other. River Otters also communicate through scent marking in their territories. Although River Otters are normally friendly and love to play, male Otters can be territorial, and will sometimes fight because of it. River Otters live inside of dens that they create in fallen trees, under rocks, and even in abandoned hollows and holes on the banks of rivers and lakes. They like to line their dens with cozy moss, leaves, and grasses.

River Otters will usually mate between late winter and early spring. Male and female otters do not stay together once they have mated. Female river otters have an incredible reproductive cycle that involves something called delayed implantation. This means that even when the female Otter has a fertilized egg inside of her, the eggs will stay dormant for up to one year before they begin to grow when conditions are optimal. After they begin to grow, the gestation period is about 60 – 75 days. Female River Otters typically give birth to 1 to 6 pups per litter, who are born both blind and deaf. River Otter pups remain blind and deaf for a month and after they develop their eyesight and hearing, they can start exploring at 2 months old. By four months old, they can start to swim and hunt on their own. The pups will usually stay with their mother until she has her next litter of pups about a year later.

All species of River Otters face threats in their wild habitats. Although some populations are not labelled as endangered, or even threatened, the ecosystems they live in face constant threats such as pollution, overdevelopment, illegal hunting, toxin exposure, and loss of food sources. River Otters were hunted to near extinction in many places for their warm pelts until it was made illegal in many places in recent history. Since River Otters tend to share a lot of their habitat with humans, they are heavily affected by humans. River otters encounter a lot of litter and toxic chemicals used within lawn sprays. As the human population grows, overdevelopment of wetland and wild habitat continues to destroy the vulnerable ecosystem that River Otters live in. Many River Otter populations are dropping, even in species like the North American River Otter, who is labeled as “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Since there are 13 different species of River Otter around the world, many populations have different population statuses. Species like the Asian Small Clawed Otter are listed as “near threatened”, while other species like the Hairy-nosed Otter, also in Asia, are critically endangered. The species of the Japanese River Otter went extinct in 2012 due to loss of habitat, over-hunting, and pollution exposure. Regardless of where River Otters are located in the world, all populations are struggling with the same challenges, and if they are not assisted soon, more River Otter species could become extinct as well. Luckily, there are ways you can help!

River Otters rely on clean and unpolluted waterways to hunt and live. By learning about ways you can reduce pollution and conserve water, you can help protect River Otter habitats. Pick up all trash you see and throw it away in an appropriate place. Avoid using weed killing sprays and toxic fertilizers, they can destroy delicate ecosystems! Help support conservation organizations and spread awareness about the importance of preserving our waterways and wetlands. By working together, we can make a huge difference for this amazing and fun group of species!