The research compiled the most comprehensive genetic data set yet of Oregon’s original sea otters. North American river otters also inhabit the forested regions of the Pacific coast in North America. Oklahoma City Zoo – This cam includes views of red pandas. When the company moved to Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 1982, the original building provided 50,000 square feet to help the founders achieve their mission. However, playful behavior was found in only 6% of 294 observations in a study in Idaho, and was limited mostly to immature otters.[15]. [45] In 2010, the Colorado Department of Wildlife reported the species, reintroduced in the 1980s, was "thriving" and recommended its protection status be reconsidered. [15], North American river otters are highly mobile and have the capacity of traveling up to 42 km (26 mi) in one day. In all habitats, their basic social group is the family, consisting of an adult female and her progeny. [34] A 1994 river otter study reported findings of beaver remains in 27 of 1,191 scats analyzed. 9 Alabama 66-61 on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Racine Zoo – This is the YouTube Channel for Racine Zoo. In some regions, though, their population is controlled to allow the trapping and harvesting of otters for their pelts. They host numerous endoparasites, such as nematodes, cestodes, trematodes, the sporozoan Isopora, and acanthocephalans. An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). Copulation is vigorous, and is interrupted by periods of rest. Fish are the primary component of the North American river otter's diet throughout the year. North American river otters are very susceptible to the effects of environmental pollution, which is a likely factor in the continued decline of their numbers. North American river otters dry themselves and uphold the insulative quality of their fur by frequent rubbing and rolling on grass, bare ground, and logs. Encounters between North American river otters and beavers are not necessarily hostile. 24 Oklahoma defeat No. [15], CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, "Expert says otter attacks are rare after St. Pete dog killed", "Dog attacked by otters in Lakewood, homeowners say", "7 Surprising Facts About the Giant River Otter", "Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation", 10.1644/1545-1410(2002)712<0001:LM>2.0.CO;2, "North American River Otter – National Wildlife Federation", "Basic Facts About North American River Otters", "Distribution and abundance of river otter in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota", "Food habits of the river otter in Suisun Marsh, Central California", "Feeding relationships of river otters in northeastern Pennsylvania", Food habits of the North American river otter (, "Social Networks and the Formation and Maintenance of River Otter Groups", "Art Lander's Outdoors: Once endangered river otters now likely to be found in Kentucky for generations", Colorado Otters May No Longer Need Protection, "Final report of the North American river otter research project on the Upper Colorado River Basin in and adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado", https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Lontra_canadensis/, COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Grizzly Bear, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=North_American_river_otter&oldid=1005199869, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009, Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 February 2021, at 13:36. [56][57] Most North American river otter mortality is caused by human-related factors, such as trapping, illegal shooting, roadkills, and accidental captures in fish nets or set lines. By the early 1900s, North American river otter populations had declined throughout large portions of their historic range in North America. [15] The North American river otter's nostrils and ears close during submersion, keeping water from entering them. An adult North American river otter can weigh between 5.0 and 14 kg (11.0 and 30.9 lb). [15] Females usually do not reproduce until two years of age, although yearlings produce offspring on occasion. [28] This availability is influenced by the following factors: detectability and mobility of the prey, habitat availability for the various prey species, environmental factors, such as water depth and temperature, and seasonal changes in prey supply and distribution in correspondence with otter foraging habitat. North American river otters may be victims of canine distemper, rabies, respiratory tract disease, and urinary infection. [25], The North American river otter is more social than most mustelids. In Maine, use of watersheds by North American river otters is negatively associated with the proportion of mixed hardwood-softwood stands in forested areas adjacent to waterways. This website is powered by SportsEngine's Sports Relationship Management (SRM) software, but is owned by and subject to the OKC Energy FC privacy policy. [25][32][33] Game fish, such as trout (Salmonidae) and pike (Esocidae), are not a significant component of their diets. The maximum weight and length of both sexes are attained at three to four years of age. Since 1976, over 4,000 otters have been reintroduced in 21 U.S. states. During the breeding, the male grabs the female by the neck with his teeth. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License; all unstructured text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. [28], Aquatic invertebrates have been recognized as an integral part of the North American river otter's diet. Fish and Wildlife Service funded a feasibility study by the Elakha Alliance, the first in a long series of evaluations and steps that could ultimately bring back Oregon’s sea otters. [19] This is a list of the schools in Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States and Canada that have women's soccer as a varsity sport. It can tolerate a great range of temperature and elevations. The species is widely distributed throughout its range. Not only sables and silver foxes were hunted and traded, but also squirrels, martens, and, later in the 18th and 19th centuries - sea otters, hunted in the Pacific ocean and on the Alaskan shores. [39] Remains of the much larger North American beaver have been found in North American river otter scat in some regions, although most otter dietary studies in areas where otters and beaver are sympatric do not show them to be regular predators of beavers (despite the claims of fur-trappers that otters frequently hunt beavers) and perhaps only young beaver kits may be attacked. A technique borrowed from the science of human archaeology may answer this conservation question. [22], Like other otters, the North American river otter lives in a holt, or den, constructed in the burrows of other animals, or in natural hollows, such as under a log or in river banks. ); and Ictaluridae, which consists of bullheads and catfish (Ictalurus spp.). In Alaska, the two species living in marine environments indicate niche separation through resource partitioning, probably related to the swimming abilities of these mustelids. The vulnerability and seasonal availability of prey animals mainly governs its food habits and prey choices. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey) Asia Album: Wild animals in Singapore ... Mary Power focuses her studies on fish in the rivers and streams of Oklahoma. People who like to … The ears are short, the neck is the same diameter as the head, the legs are short and powerful, the toes are fully webbed, and the tail (one-third of body length) is tapered. [32][34] The most common amphibians recognized were frogs (Rana and Hyla). You can explore the rivers of the Amazon, learn about the sharks of the oceans, and see river otters up close and personal! [9] The species epithet canadensis means "of Canada". North American river otters living in groups hunt and travel together, use the same dens, resting sites, and latrines, and perform allogrooming. The species is often used as a bioindicator because of its position at the top of the food chain in aquatic ecosystems. [15] Its vibrissae (whiskers) are long and thick, enhancing sensory perception underwater and on land. From 1969 to 1971, the United States was testing nuclear weapons beneath one of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, worryingly close to some of the world’s few surviving sea otters. These otters were hunted or traded well over a thousand years ago, long before European contact and the maritime fur trade, and the results of the analysis show it. A short, broad rostrum for exhaling and a long, broad cranium define the relatively flat skull. In the late 1970s, annual harvest in North America reached approximately 50,000 pelts, for a value of US$3 million.