Gestation is for two months, but young may be produced up to a year after breeding due to delayed implantation. Basically, they can be found anywhere they have easy access to both land and water. North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) Description & Range: The river otter is the largest member of the weasel family (Mustelidae). River otters can tolerate a variety of environments, including cold and warmer latitudes and high elevations. Births take place from November to May, peaking in March and April. Their toes are webbed, they have short legs and they boast a tapered tail ranging up to 15 inches long. However, it is sensitive to pollution, and will disappear from tainted areas. Dens are created in riverside burrows, under vegetation or rocks near water, in undercut banks or hollow trees, and sometimes in muskrat or beaver lodges. Habitat. North American otters are able to dive as deep as 60 feet. 1. They can stay underwater for as many as eight minutes. The Buttonwood Park Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) for North American River Otters. They can thrive in any water habitat, such as ponds, marshes, lakes, rivers, and estuaries—in cold, warm, or even high-elevation areas—as long as the habitat provides adequate food. They prefer bog lakes with banked shores containing semi aquatic mammal burrows and lakes with Beaver lodges. The Defenders of Wildlife resource, based on harvest reports, estimates the North American otter’s total population size to be over 100,000 individuals. The North American otter inhabits much of the United States and Canada, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast, from the Gulf of Mexico to northern Alaska. Most species are entirely dependent on aquatic habitats for food. Summary 4 Lontra canadensis (North American otter) is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North America. These animals have boundless energy due to their very high metabolism. In Canada, they can be found in every province and territory except Prince Edward Island, where they appear to be extirpated. Search, discover, and learn about wildlife. They have also been known to eat aquatic plants and to prey on other small mammals, such as muskrats or rabbits. In captivity, North American river otters can live into their 20s. Its fur ranges in color from white and gray to brown and black. A range of vocalizations is also used to communicate, the most common sound amongst a group being a low frequency noise that sounds like chuckling, while loud snorts are often used for signaling potential danger. The North American river otter occurs in much of Canada and the United States, except for portions of the Southwest, and in Mexico in the Rio Grande and Colorado River delta areas. Pups will open their eyes when they are one month old and are weaned when about 3 months old, starting to leave their birth range from 6 months to the age of one year. Today, a large number of otters are found in the United States and Canada. About North American River Otters. They first learn to swim after about two months. It can tolerate a great range of temperature and elevations. North American river otters live in streams, marshes and back waterways surrounding lakes, especially the Great Lakes. They have a very high metabolism, so they need to eat frequently. North American river otters have long whiskers, which they use to detect prey in dark or cloudy water, and clawed feet for grasping onto slippery prey. Northern American otters are able to close their nostrils in order to keep water out when diving for a long time. Sometimes they eat aquatic plants. Being aquatic in nature, this species is confined to places that have permanent water. Their tails are muscular and comprise up to 40 percent of the otter… They reach reproductive maturity at the age of 2 to 3 years. The playful North American river otter is well adapted for semi-aquatic living. They can thrive in any water habitat, such as ponds, marshes, lakes, rivers, and estuaries—in cold, warm, or even high-elevation areas—as long as the habitat provides adequate food. The mammals have thick, protective fur to help them keep warm while swimming in cold waters. Males are generally larger than females. The North American river otters are carnivores, they eat mainly aquatic animals such as amphibians, turtles, fish, crayfish, crabs, and other species of invertebrates. This animal’s lovely waterproof pelt, which allows it to regulate its temperature, in the 1700s-1800s, a regular part of French fur trade, has meant this animal has been hunted for hundreds of years. These otters are very good swimmers and divers, and are able to stay underwater as long as 8 minutes. 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