North American river otter (Lontra canadensis)
Cheers to 2019! We're ready to go, you? We’re energized by the growing momentum across the region around nature-connected communities. For this month's Species Spotlight, we were searching for the perfect local lifeform that captured our current mood and outlook for the year. We simply had to go with Lontra canadensis.
North American river otters are skilled survivors. Ecologically, they are an invaluable link between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They're extremely adaptable, resourceful, curious, energetic, social, vocal, and love to play. (In many ways, they are our spirit animal.) They also are a living symbol of the ever-evolving balance between humans and the living world.
Just a century ago, L. canadensis was on the brink of extinction. Prized for their pelts, they were nearly eliminated due to unregulated takes. Then in the 1980s and early 1990s, Missouri, Illinois, and other states began otter restoration efforts. Thanks to these efforts, along with the improvement of stream conditions, otters are once again found throughout our region. As populations rebounded, however, not everybody celebrated. In Missouri, the booming otter population caught the ire of recreational anglers. In addition to farm ponds and aquaculture facilities, otters found the fishing easy in headwater streams and tributaries of the central Ozarks. At one point, some anglers argued that “there wasn’t enough room for otters and fishermen in the Ozarks.” Today, conservation agencies use regulated trapping to maintain healthy otter populations within the tolerance levels of both habitats and people – a sensitive balance for sure.
Did you know? The Midwest’s largest member of the weasel family, L. canadensis can be found anyplace beavers can be found, including marine and fresh water, rivers, lakes, ponds, and marshes. Beavers tend to make areas way more inviting for otters, with abandoned beaver dens serving as favorite places for resting and raising young. Pools and wetlands created by beaver dams are also ideal places for otters to search for food, preying on practically anything that’s available. Today, bioaccumulation of pollutants in the food chain poses a potential threat; L. canadensis prefers unpolluted water with minimal human disturbance.
Conservation tip: Otters need quality wetlands and woodlands along the streams and rivers they call home. If you live near a creek or stream, get more involved with its riparian restoration, keeping the banks stabilized with native trees, shrubs, and other plants. Do everything you can to prevent fertilizers and other pollutants from washing into streams. Otters and others will thank you!