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The Northern River Otter, Lontra canadensis, is a North American member of the Mustelidae or weasel family.
These animals have long, streamlined, muscular bodies with short legs, webbed toes and a long muscular tail. They have glossy dark brown fur; their throat is often silver grey. Otters are powerful swimmers, but can also travel quickly on land and often propel themselves into a rapid slide on their bellies on snow or ice; they also like to slide down river banks into the water.
They are found on inland waterways and coastal bays in Alaska, Canada, the northern United States and the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the U.S.
Otters mainly eat fish but also eat insects, frogs, crustaceans and sometimes small mammals. They are generally more active at night, but are active during the day where undisturbed by human activity.
They use musk and urine to mark the land bordering their territories. They often use dens built by other animals, sometimes killing beavers or muskrats to take over their lodges.
Otters breed in the spring, but delay implantation of the fertilized egg, so that the young are born in late winter or early spring. Mating occurs in water.
These animals were trapped for their highly-prized fur, which led to their disappearance from many parts of their historical range. Trapping is still permitted in some areas where otters remain abundant.
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