Eagle Extra 941.312.0665 | ISSUE 3 | DECEMBER 2023
Otters in the Landings: Elusive and Fascinating By Hans Hawrysz
One of the key features and attractions of living in The Landings is the ability to see all kinds of birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians living in our lakes. But, what about mammals? If you have been lucky to hear a different sort of high pitch scream or chatter, you might have come across one of the otter families that live in The Landings. The river otter (Lontra canadensis) is one of our most interesting but elusive inhabitants. Despite their cute looks and playfulness, they are apex predators, with hunting abilities, skills, and personality to match. River otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae and the overall Family the Mustelidae which includes weasels, minks, wolverines, fishers, and martens and all are renowned for their energy and fierceness. The entire subfamily of 13 species including river otters, is built to succeed in an aquatic environment. They have long bodies, flat heads, and super dense fur to glide effortlessly through water, powerful tails, short legs, and webbed feet. Their eyes are equipped with clear lids for underwater vision and their ears and nostrils close underwater. Their lungs allow them to stay submerged for up to 8 minutes and their hearing is so acute that they can hear fish underwater. They have long, stiff, and highly sensitive facial whiskers that aid in locating and capturing prey in dark and murky waters. On land, river otters can run as fast as 16 mph. A very formidable animal. This level of environmental adaptation has allowed them to live and succeed in all continents except for Australia and Antarctica. However, hunting and loss of habitat is shrinking the population. River otters have a long history in Florida, but given their waterproof pelts, they were almost hunted to extinction in the 19 th and early 20 th Century and are still considered to be endangered in Florida. In Southwest Florida, River Otters can be found in a variety of aquatic environments including streams, lakes, marshes, estuaries, and mangrove forests. They can approach 4 ft in length and weigh up to thirty pounds. They have a very powerful bite, 615 lbs. per square inch, twice as much as a pit bull and the same as a lion. If you encounter one, it is better to keep your distance. Otters are very energetic, high metabolism carnivores, so they need to catch and eat about half of their body weight each day. As a result, they are always on the hunt for food. The mainstay of their diet is fish, but they will eat
anything they can catch, crayfish, mollusks, insects, rodents, frogs, and turtles. They hunt singly or in pairs and although otters forage in water they are equally at home on land where they rest, groom, and eat. They are also very mobile, sometimes traveling between 10 and 18 miles in search of food. River otters are highly social animals and are often found in family groups called “rafts” which typically consist of a female otter, her offspring, and occasionally a male otter. They exhibit a high level of playfulness and a variety of vocalizations, ranging from whistles and buzzes to twitters, staccato chuckles, chirps, and growls. When threatened or frightened, they can emit a hairraising scream that can be heard up to 1.5 miles. Females give birth to one to three “kits” in a den near water and young otters are ready to swim in about two months, taught solely by their mother. Predators of the North American river otter include bobcats, alligators, coyotes, and large birds of prey. Otters are primarily nocturnal and shy away from humans but occasionally you can see them in the day. Key spotting areas in The Landings have been the lake banks and swampy areas like the Treehouse Lagoon. Also, river otters do not like polluted water so, spotting them in The Landings is a good indication that our water quality is high enough to attract otters.