The river otter has brown to black fur with a gray belly and chin. It lives in banks of rivers, small lakes, ponds, and dens made of mud and twigs. River otters mostly eat small fish, crayfish, frogs, small mammals, and aquatic insects. They give birth to litters of around 6 pups after a 2 month gestation period.

1. By Zoe Kirchner

2. Description
The River Otter has
brown-to-black fur with a
gray belly and chin. River
Otters have very small ears
and eyes. River Otters have
waterproof fur which helps
them stay warm in any
water temperature. It is
usually ten to thirty lb. , two
and a half to three and a
half feet in length, and
eleven to twenty inches
when standing. The River
Otter is a mammal.

3. Habitat
The Otter lives
on banks of rivers,
small lakes, and
ponds, in logs or dens
made of mud and
twigs. It sometimes
lives in elevations up
to 8,500 feet!
Sometimes it lives
by big lakes in bays.

4. Diet
The River Otter
mostly eats small fish,
crayfish, frogs, small
mammals, and even aquatic
insects. It eats its food as
soon as it catches it. The
River Otter has really
sharp claws, and whiskers
that can detect organisms.

5. Life Cycle
The otter lives seven to twenty years. About 6
pups ( baby otters) are born in a year. The
gestation length is usually two months, maybe even
a year! Pups are nursing every four hours for ten to
fifteen minutes at a time. Pups are born with eyes
closed and toothless and very playful!

6. Other Interesting facts
 Otters eat 15% to 20%
of their body weight
everyday!
 An otters nostrils can
close while their
swimming so water
doesn’t go into its nose.
 Otters sometimes take
naps lying in the water
on their backs floating
around or hanging on to
a strip or seaweed.

7. Bibliography
 Book one: Tekiela, Stan. Mammals of Colorado .
Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications Inc., 2007 .
 Book two: Miller , Sara. Otters. New York, NY:
Rosen Publishing Group Inc., 2008.
 Internet one: Northern River Otter . Wikpedia. 28
Apr. 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_River_
Otter
 Internet two: Northern River Otter. Animal
Diversity Web. 29 Apr. 2009
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/
information/Lontra_canadensis.htm