River otter family frolicking with the fish at Market Lake

While leaving Market Lake Wildlife Management Area last Saturday, I noticed a large brown animal hiding in some cattails on the bank of the canal leading to Pond #1. At first I thought it was a very large muskrat, but as it started to run along the bank, I realized that it was a young North American river otter. It stopped, and then I saw three heads watching me in the deeper water. It was the first time in over 20 years that I finally was able to see otters long enough to capture some pictures of them.

The one on the bank continued to run and walk on the muddy shore while the other three, a mom and two youngsters, swam toward the culvert going to the Pond #1 area. When the otter on the bank got to the culvert it had no choice to stay out of the water, but it paused, then plunged into the water and followed the other three through the culvert.

As they were swimming, I could see that the one that liked the land better than the water was only about half as big as the other young ones. It was the runt of the family, and to keep up with the others, it had to lope along the shore while the others were diving and enjoying the water.

The ones in the water traveled about 200 yards when they left the water, ran to the cattails and entered a hole in the bank – probably one of their dens. The mom waited for the runt to go into the hole before she went in. I waited for about 15 minutes before the adult poked her head out, sniffed the air, looked both ways and totally emerged from the den.

They must have been hungry as I had not seen them catch any prey, and they headed straight to the water. All of them, except the runt, entered the water near some aquatic plants and immediately surfaced chewing on some small fish. I could hear their powerful jaws crunching on the small catfish that they had caught. The three quickly dove again while the runt started begging for some food but refused to go into the water to join the hunt.

Mom was the first to surface with a small fish and took it over to the begging youngster, while one of the youngsters surfaced with a larger catfish that it could not control. So it took it to the bank where it could hold it with its front paws while eating.

For over a half an hour, I watched the family have their brunch. The female supplied three fish for the runt to eat. It was very interesting to watch them as they ate perch, chubs and catfish before finding another den to rest in.

River otters are well-equipped for catching fish underwater, as they can close their nostrils and ears to keep the water out while they swim. They also have three eyelids. The third one is a nictitating membrane, an eyelid that they can see through. While chasing the fish in the small area, the water became very dirty. No problem, the otters are equipped with some stiff whiskers that enhance their senses to locate their prey.

As I studied the trails that the otters took last Saturday, I saw some old tracks and signs that were left on an earlier visit to Market Lake. Being a member of the weasel family, otters have scent glands near the base of their tail and mark their territory by having scent posts. Each family claims an area from three to 15 square miles that they mark as their family property.

What a great experience to see and photograph their habits for the first time. Let me know if you see them in the future; I will also be watching out for them.