The decline in river otter (Lontra canadensis) populations during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries throughout North America has led to protective status and strict harvest regulations. Despite sustained interest in protecting river otters, relatively few contemporary studies have evaluated the current status of populations, especially in California. An effective way to estimate...

In Canada, there are two species of otters, the river otter (Lontra canadensis) and the sea otter (Enhydra lutris). The river otter is considered to be plentiful and ranges throughout a large part of Canada. On the other hand, the sea otter is classified as of Special Concern and only small translocated colonies are found along the coastline of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. The scienti...

River otter (Lontra canadensis) use of Phragmites australis and density estimation using genetic techniques" (2011). River otters were extirpated in Nebraska in the early 1900's. In 1986 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission began reintroducing otters. In support of developing an otter management plan, I conducted research on two aspects of otter ecology in Nebraska. First, I examined otter use of...

—The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is recovering from near extirpation throughout much of its range. Although reintroductions, trapping regulations and habitat improvements have led to the reestablishment of river otters in the Midwest, little is known about how their distribution is influenced by localand landscape-scale habitat. We conducted river otter sign surveys from Jan....

Over the last decade, a successful re-introduction program resulted in the establishment of an otter population in the Wieden-Weerribben area, the Netherlands. The next stage of the reintroduction program intends to create a meta-population by facilitating the establishment of new populations at other locations as well. The current plan is to re-introduce otters in the river-system of the river...

otters at the top of the food chain and feeding largely on fish are likely to be especially vulnerable to the effects of bioaccumulating pollutants. this research reports the first data on mercury levels found in hairs of river otters (lutra lutra) from iran. between june and december 2007, we collected museum and recent collections of river otter hair. these samples were collected from several...

Nineteen microsatellite loci developed for the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) and 15 loci developed for the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) were tested for ease of amplification and degree of polymorphism on a set of 20 giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) faecal samples from the Bolivian Amazon basin. Nineteen loci amplified consistently well, with polymorphisms ranging from two t...

The Israeli population of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) marks the Palearctic southern boundary of the species' distribution in the Levant. During the 20th century, the otter population in Israel experienced a dramatic decline due to anthropogenic habitat alterations. Currently, the otter population in Israel is estimated at about 100 individuals and defined as "Critically Endangered". The aim of...

We report the first case of uric acid nephrolithiasis in a free-ranging river otter (Lontra canadensis). A 7 yr old male river otter collected from the Skagit River of western Washington (USA) had bilateral nephrolithiasis and severely enlarged ureters (one of 305 examined [0.33%]). The uroliths were 97% uric acid and 3% protein. Microscopic changes in the kidney were confined to expansion of r...