Consider the River Otter (Lontra canadensis). Cheryl snapped this photo of the visiting fish-eater near Starbucks yesterday. Otters have huge territories so he/she has lots of different feeding spots to choose from but the Martinez Beaver Ponds are definitely on the short list. Since beaver dams trap organic material that insects break down, they increase fish populations and become feeding grounds for lots of wildlife. Remember that in the fall we saw mom and junior visiting the area so that she could show him where to find easy fishing once he was on his own. Observers say the otter was showing his/her talents with fearless aplomb yesterday, popping out of the water to savor each victory.
I dearly wish we’d see an otter family someday, with little pups. Otters start out life much more slowly than beavers, not learning to swim until they’re 8 weeks old! Pregnant females raise their pups entirely by themselves, with no help from Dad, who will fertilize anything he gets his paws on. Otters can’t dig their own den, so rely on other animals to do it for them (hint, hint). Once an otter is impregnated it can delay implantation of the fetus for up to 8 months, timing the birth for the spring. But in the mean time we are always delighted by an otter vist. A special benefit of this photo is the glimpse of his curving, tapered fur tale. If you’re still not sure you can tell them apart from beavers, this might help:
In solidarity for our frozen East-Coast friends today I thought the website should snow, too. Enjoy!
