Wildlife of the James - River Otters

River Otters on the James
Lontra canadensis

By Gabe Silver
JRA Environmental Educator

As our canoe cuts through the placid waters of the James in the long slow pool just downriver of Scottsville, VA, a chattering sound catches our ears. Looking toward the south bank, I spot three heads bobbing in the water. Suddenly the numb toes and other grievances of a paddle through the winter dawn are all worth it, for here are the otters we had hoped to see. You will know when you see a river otter, for it moves unlike any other mammal on the James. You hear the chatter and watch the otter stretch its head high out of the water to inspect you before it disappears, followed by a brief flash of otter rump and then nothing but the occasional bubble rising to the surface. Then the head re-surfaces and again the chattering reaches your ears, as if you are being chided or teased. If you are very lucky, you may see a family of otter before they see you. If this is the case, you may be witness to the very definition of the word ‘playful.’

River otters are active hunters at night and can sometimes be spotted at dusk and dawn slipping into the water where they are indeed most at home. Otters, the largest member of the weasel family, are athletic and opportunistic predators, generally preferring fish but also consuming crayfish, amphibians, insects, birds, and small mammals. Protected from wet and cold by the densest of fur, otters swim happily even in frigid waters.

In the winter or early spring after a long and variable gestation period, the female otter will give birth to one to six pups in an abandoned den or hollow log. The otter pup starts life blind and helpless but in two months time will be roughhousing with its siblings in the shallows near the den. They will be weaned at three months and can go on to live over ten years. Some river otter live in small social groups and others appear to prefer solitude.

River otter were found in abundance throughout North America when the English landed at Jamestown. By the 1900s overharvesting, water pollution, and riparian habitat destruction had rendered the otter locally extinct in many areas and greatly reduced throughout much of its range. As a fish-eater at the top of the food chain, otter are susceptible to mercury and pesticide pollution that collects in fish tissue. In fact, scientists sometimes study the chemical content of otter tissue to determine the toxicity of the waters in which they live and hunt. The river otter is making a comeback throughout much of its range in the east, and our efforts to improve water quality and restore riparian habitat contribute greatly to their ongoing success.  One thing we can all do to help the otters of the James is never to litter and clean up any litter we find, especially fishing line and other potential entanglements a curious otter might find interesting.

We want to know about your experience seeing otters on the James. Tell us about where you have seen otters and what they were up to.

Learn more:

River Otter Facts, Photos and Video from National Geographic http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature/River-otter

University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lontra_canadensis.html