Coast Critters stars Teresa Hurray of the Mendocino Area Parks Association and MacKerricher State Park of the North Coast of California. Each segment she describes one of the many creatures that live on the wild and free Northern Coast of Mendocino County California. In this segment we learn about the lovable and playful North American River Otter. This segment of Coast Critters appears in episode #11 of the locally produced "Coast Currents" shows for Mendocino Coast Television.

This video was shot By Al Holston and edited by Troy Mellott for Mendocino Coast Television.
August 2011


(More Otter info from Wiki)

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts. An adult river otter can weigh between 5 and 14 kg (11 and 30 lb). The river otter is protected and insulated by a thick, water-repellent coat of fur.
The river otter, a member of the weasel family, is equally versatile in the water and on land. The otter establishes a burrow close to the water's edge in river, lake, swamp, coastal shoreline, tidal flat, or estuary ecosystems. Their dens have many tunnel openings, one of which generally allows the otter to enter and exit the body of water. Female otters give birth in these underground burrows, producing litters of one to six young.
North American river otters, like most predators, prey upon the species that are the most readily accessible. Fish is a favored food among the otters, but they also consume various amphibians, turtles, and crayfish. There have been instances of river otters eating small mammals, as well.
The range of the North American river otter has been significantly reduced by habitat loss, beginning with the European colonization of North America. In some regions, though, their population is controlled to allow the trapping and harvesting of otters for their pelts. River otters are very susceptible to environmental pollution, which is a likely factor in the continued decline of their numbers. A number of reintroduction projects have been initiated to help stabilize the reduction in the overall population.

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