What do otters eat? Every event is enjoyable for all ages, making them a wonderful way for families to explore the natural world together. Like weasels, otters have short legs and long flexible bodies. Called a ‘raft’, the act has also been thought to be mating behaviour as competition between males can be fierce; some males like to hold the hands of their mates to make sure the female is not taken by another male. The planning process has an important part to play in safeguarding the future of our wildlife and the environments they inhabit. These are very important, as they are used to communicate with other otters. 5. There are many natural predators of otters, such as bobcats, coyotes, wolves, bears and foxes, as well sea lions, orcas, great white sharks, alligators and crocodiles. Otter at Strumpshaw Fen by Elizabeth Dack. on 15/10/2019. on 13/11/2019. A large male may consume as much as 11 kg (25 lb.) Some other common items that they will … Most species have webbed feet, and all have long, sensitive whiskers and thick, water-repellent fur. With the ability to smell concentrations of fish and their high metabolisms, otters spend most of their time hunting for their next meal. How to prevent otters predating fisheries and ponds. However, otters differ from similar species like beavers, muskrats, and nutria that feed on plants. River otters also prefer slower-moving fish to game fish. Because otters eat mainly fish, you’ll generally find them in areas where there are plenty of this food source. Their diet consists of roughly 80% fish, but they will prey upon birds, mammals and frogs if fish are in short supply. Events taking place for all the family to enjoy, Support your local Wildlife Trust – buy your bird food from Vine House Farm, Six visitor centres around Norfolk, getting you closer to wildlife. on 03/10/2019. The Asian short-clawed otter, which can be found in mountainous areas away from large sources of water, can also hunt ground-nesting birds and rodents. However, it’s also known that the young ones will stay with their mother until they are mature enough to start their own families. This helps them make tight turns underwater as they chase after prey. Otters tend to live in a holt, which is normally a hole in a river or lakeside bank or in a tree root. The sea otter is only found in salt water, where it prefers to eat invertebrates such as shellfish. In the UK IOSF is the only charity solely dedicated to the conservation, protection and care of otters based on years of scientific research in the UK and around the world. Cubs are usually born in a holt in a bank, or between rocks or tree roots. They have webbed feet for swimming, dense fur for warmth, and can close their ears and nose underwater. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that they indulge in food that can be found in and around rivers. All otters are expert hunters that eat fish, crustaceans, and other critters. Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as 'holts'. The average otter is 1–1.3 metres in length, and weighs up to 9kg. The Scottish population is estimated to be around 8000 otters. In the UK, one of the biggest natural predators of Eurasian otters is birds of prey, which are likely to swoop down on small otter pups. Otter numbers in the UK have increased slightly in recent years but the Eurasian otter is still classed as … They will also feed on mussels and limpets on the seashore and when on land they hunt down frogs, waterfowl, voles and even rabbits. What is the real level of risk to your pond and can you do anything about it? It depends on the species and whether they live in the wild or not. There a bunch of different activities including cutting + tracing practice, do-a-dot pages, 4-part apology cards and more! Sea otters are even able to drink sea water, as their kidneys are large enough to extract fresh water from the sea water. Together we can save Norfolk's wildlife - become a member today. Contributed by: Elizabeth Dack, Otter Otters declined catastrophically throughout England in the late 1950s. They have a unique foraging habit because they use rocks to kill their prey. Clawless otters, on the other hand, are nocturnal. Otters are now very common along the coast of Norway and in Northern Britain, especially Shetland where 12% of the UK breeding population exist. Your support helps us protect the future of that wildlife and helps us inspire people to value nature. Excellent and lithe swimmers, the young are in the water by 10 weeks of age. Today though, otters have returned to most of their former haunts in Norfolk. What sort of things have you trained them to do? Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as 'holts'. Their habitats can differ from species to species. “We do a training move wherein we offer out our closed fist above the otter’s head that they touch with their nose. Fish, especially eels and salmonids are eaten, and crayfish at certain times of the year. The majority of species, including the Asian short-clawed otter, the Eurasian otter, marine otter, giant otter and hairy-nose otter, are known to have a gestation period of up to 9 weeks. However, when fish is scarce, they eat insects, frogs, birds and other mammals like rodents. To stay warm in the water for so long, otters have incredibly thick fur, and very fast metabolisms, which means they need to eat a lot – 20% of their body weight per day, during certain months. deliberately kill, injure or take an otter from the wild without a licence; deliberately disturb an otter in its resting place or. An adult otter needs to eat about 20% of its body weight per day. Come and discover wildlife as a family! Please remain aware of how the otter is behaving. Otters will mainly feed on fish (40-90% of their diet)and will take a variety of species depending on the time of year, species such as carp, stickleback and eels. Fish are relatively insignificant in their diets. To see an otter in the wild demands not only being in the right place at the right time but also that you spot the otter before the otter spots you. Besides, they also prefer to eat crabs, large barnacles, mussels, snails, tubeworms, clams, squid, octopuses, chitons, scallops, sea cucumbers, sea stars and abalone. Otters are accustomed to preying on live animals; hunting is an integral part of … Sea otters have a high metabolic rate (that is, they use a high amount of energy) that is 2-3 times that of other mammals their size. Their short ears and noses, coupled with their dense, cuddly fur certainly make otters one of the sea’s most adorable examples of marine life – but there’s definitely more to them than being little charmers. Otters were released by the Otter Trust in Norfolk between 1984 and 1997 with the approval of the statutory conservation bodies existing at the time; there have been no releases since then (other than orphaned otters which are released by the RSPCA as close as possible to the location that they came from). We are on the hunt for images of particular species in Norfolk... have you managed to snap one? The otters have thick, hard fur of a brownish color, a light belly and a muzzle. You can watch an otter eat an octopus in the above video. Therefore, they tend to be prolific and efficient hunters, preferring prey that’s slow and easy to catch. In the UK otters can only really be confused with the introduced American mink, but otters are much larger (95-130cm in length, including tail), with a distinctive white throat. “They can expect high levels of cuteness from our otters, like when Ralph is juggling his pebbles or Selma does her scent-marking dance around the enclosure. on 28/08/2018. Otters living in zoos and aquariums are likely to live far past their average life span to almost double or triple years. And if you get lucky, what you might see otters catch and eat. How do I know if otters are present on a site? Otters prefer fish which they dive underwater to catch using their sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Newborns are only about 12cm long but grow quickly and can swim at three months. Pet otters eat a lot. What can visitors expect from their experience of otters at Blue Reef Aquarium? Sea otters have an ingenious method to open shellfish. The young otters are hunted by sharks, predatory seabirds and animals. In the wild, most species of otter feed on fish and crustaceans, with river otters feeding on prey like freshwater fish, mussels, crabs, crayfish and frogs, and saltwater otters eating marine prey such as shellfish, sea urchins and shrimp. The river otter food chain consists mostly of fish. 7: Never remove spraints (dung). Support conservation campaigns to protect wetland areas and ensure our rivers and waterways are free from pollution. A Eurasian otter feeding on a common roach caught in a river in Thetford. Otters occasionally take water birds such as coots, moorhens and ducks. Contributed by: Elizabeth Dack. Being a semi-aquatic and nocturnal creature does, though, make this furtive animal difficult to spot. Otters also have an acute sense of smell! What do Otters Eat? Though most are usually born in a river or lakeside bank or in still. And nose underwater cute and full of charisma, the otters and sea otter and! 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