Photos

I took this picture in december 2007 of these two European Otters being playful, when I visited the Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam.

About the European Otter (Lutra lutra):

Alternative Names: Common Otter, Eurasian Otter,
European River Otter, Old World Otter

The European otter has the widest distribution of all otter species. Its range covers parts of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa.

European otters spend most of their lives in freshwater. They inhabits rivers, lakes, streams, ponds and along rocky coasts. It uses a variety of shelters, such as, crevices in rocks and under the roots of trees but it mainly uses dens called "holts" where the females give birth and bring up their young. The holt has a chamber above the level of the water and an exit under the water. There is also a air shaft connecting the chamber to the surface which opens out into the thick thorny bushes or brambles.

The diet of the European otter is varied. It feeds upon fish, eels, insects, aquatic birds, frogs, small mammals and crustaceans. European otters found living along coastal waters have been found to feed mostly on crabs and dogfish.

The European otter is a solitary, nocturnal animal. It spends most of its day in a shelter which it changes nearly every day. Solitary otters will occupy a territory of ten or twenty kilometers in length.

Otters are often described as playful and have been observed sliding down mud-banks or snowdrifts on their bellies. Both juveniles and adults will play, trot, gallop, slide, and chase each other in water. This behavior is thought to help young otters perfect their hunting techniques.

They are vocal, with basic calls of alarm, greeting, and mating as well as up to 12 other calls. Their voice consists of short, shrill whistling, yelps, whimpers, and high pitched screams of distress.

Scent glands at the base of their tail give off a heavy, musky smell that they use as a form of communication. They will mark vegetation and logs with their scent to inform others of their territorial boundaries, identity and sexual state.

European otters become sexually mature at the age of 2 or 3 for males and 3 or 4 for females. There is no specific breeding season for European otters. Males will breed with more than one female and after a gestation period of 61 to 63 days the female will give birth to 1-3 pups and raise them alone.

The pups are born blind, naked and only 4 in. long. At six weeks the pups can see and are taught to swim. The mother will wean the pups at 4 months but the pups will stay with her until they are 8 to 12 months old. At that time, the pups will leave to find territories of their own.