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River
Otter
Lutra lutra
A sleek brown swimmer with a broad head, a pale throat and a long, thick tail.
- Size
- About 1.2m long, including the tail
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Clean rivers, lakes and coasts
My spotter's list
Swims after you with a wave of its whole body, diving and popping up again. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the otter
ReturnBack from the brink
Otters almost vanished from England in the 1970s. Cleaner rivers have let them return to every county.
FurThe thickest coat
An otter's fur is so dense that water never reaches its skin.
HomeA holt
An otter's den is called a holt. It is often among tree roots on the bank.
SignsSpraint
Otter droppings are called spraint. They are left on rocks as messages, and are said to smell of jasmine tea.
SwimmingBuilt for water
Webbed feet, a strong tail, and ears and nostrils that close underwater make the otter a superb swimmer.
FoodFish supper
Otters eat mostly fish, especially eels, along with frogs and crayfish.
The real thing
Photos of the otter
Out and aboutHow to spot one
Look on rocks and under bridges for tarry droppings full of fish bones, and for five-toed prints in mud. Then wait at dawn or dusk.
Lend a handHow to help
Keep dogs out of the water in quiet stretches, take fishing line and litter home, and report sightings to your local wildlife trust.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Bees and hoverflies
Butterflies and moths
Dragonflies and damselflies
Beetles, hoppers and ants
Not insects at all
Snails and spiders aren't insects: a snail is a mollusc, and spiders have eight legs.
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Garden birds
Pond animals live on the Pond page: choosing one takes you there.
Pond life
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Night garden
Seashore animals live on the Seashore page: choosing one takes you there.
Rock pool life
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Woodland animals
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Under a log
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Meadow life
River life
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Mountain and moor
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Farmland
These live somewhere else: choosing one takes you to their page.
Town and city
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