For North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) in Louisiana, statewide distribution, availability of aquatic habitats, and the absence of physical barriers to dispersal might suggest that they exist as a large, panmictic population. However, the wide variety of habitat types in this region, and the dynamic nature of these habitats over time, could potentially structure river otter populati...

Fatty acids (FA) have recently been used in several studies to infer the diet in a number of species. While these studies have been largely successful, most have dealt with predators that have a fairly specialized diet. In this paper, we used FA analysis as a tool to infer the diet of the nearctic river otter (Lontra canadensis). The river otter is an opportunistic predator known to subsist on ...

Opportunistic observations of Nearctic River Otter (Lontra canadensis) were collected by volunteer observers in Humboldt and Del Norte counties to describe group and litter size patterns. In the first 5 y, 709 records were sent by email, mail, or an online form. River Otter pups were characterized relative to adult body size. Group sizes, ranging from 1 to 9 otters, were larger in summer and sm...

Sign surveys are commonly used to study and monitor wildlife species but may be flawed when surveys are conducted only once and cover short distances, which can lead to a lack of accountability for false absences. Multiple observers surveyed for river otter (Lontra canadensis) scat and tracks along stream and reservoir shorelines at 110 randomly selected sites in eastern Kansas from January to ...

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) serves as an indicator species for environmental monitoring, is prized as a valuable furbearer, and is a popular display animal in zoologic collections. Nephrolithiasis has been reported as a frequent problem in other free-ranging and captive otter species but is rarely reported in North American river otters. In this study, we compared the pre...

This communication reports the first photographic record of Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra in a hill stream Jammu & Kashmir, putting an end to doubts over its presence upper Chenab catchment. Three individuals were photographed during limited camera trap survey conducted Neeru stream, left bank tributary river mid-October 2020. We argue that rapid human population influx, infrastructure expansi...

During the past century the Swedish otter (Lutra lutra) population showed a rapid decline in abundance and genetic diversity. Among the most affected areas was the southern province of Skåne. After prohibiting hunting of otters and banning harmful pollutants like PCB, Swedish populations slowly recovered. To some areas the otter returned late, like Kristianstad in north-eastern Skåne. Here, the...