Otter Book

Jo Byrne

Description

The only truly semi-aquatic member of the weasel family, otters were once a common sight in UK rivers and lakes, but now less so. Through informative chapters ranging from the physiological and environmental to the otter's inclusion in myth, legend, art and literature, The Otter Book is an ideal guide to its subject for all nature lovers, beautifully illustrated throughout with brand new photography and artwork.

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques

Informations

• Publié par: Distributed by eBookpartnership
• Date de parution: 28 avril 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781802580990
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 19 Mo

Extrait

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Contents


5 Introduction
11 Otter Physiology
12 In the beginning...
17 Ooh, smelly!
24 Now you see me, now you don’t!
32 A coat to die for
36 What’s for dinner?
40 Time for a snooze
45 No trespassing!
46 Family affairs
55 Otter Spotting
69 Back from the Brink
83 New Threats to Otters
89 Around the World
105 Dartmoor Otter Sanctuary
117 Grutness in the Snow
119 The Otter in Myth and Legend
133 The Otter in Art and Literature
158 Photo credits and artworks
160 Acknowledgements



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Introduction





















































































































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Otter Physiology



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Otter Physiology


They are, along with mink, semi- aquatic members of the mustelid family and, like all mustelids, otters are carnivorous. They have a very solid, dense bone structure, with little marrow in the bones, providing extra ‘ballast’ to their aquatic lifestyle.
In this book, we’re going to focus on the Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ), found across Europe, Asia, as far east as China and even across parts of Russia, North Africa and the Middle East. Bizarrely, however, the Eurasian otter is currently reported as largely extinct in Belgium, Switzerland and Japan. Here in the UK, otters are rare, and entirely absent from the Isle of Man, Scilly Isles and Channel Islands,


as well as large parts of central and southern England.
There are 13 species of otter found across the world, appearing on almost every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
In the beginning...
The otter is part of the Carnivora family tree, of which one of the branches is Mustelidae. Other branches of the Carnivora family include Felidae (cat-like) and Canidae (dog-like).
Otters, in their earliest form, are thought to have appeared around 30 million years ago, descending from a group of carnivores called Mionictis.


Unlike the badger, their tank-like mustelid cousins, otters hail from the slinkier side of the family – along with pine martens, weasels, stoat and mink.



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The form of otters we know today began to appear around 15 million years ago, so otters have been around for a very long time! And, as we’ve seen, they can be found around most


of the world in various sizes, shapes and habitats.
As semi-aquatic mammals, they are terrestrial but spend a significant amount of their daily lives in the water;



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Otter Physiology


as well as nooks and crannies in bridges as temporary resting spots.
Eurasian otters are dark brown in colour across most of their bodies, with a light underside including the chin and areas from under the eyes downwards across the throat and belly.


hunting, feeding, playing and courting. The Eurasian otter’s preferred habitat is rivers and lakes, but they can also be found along sea shores and, in the UK, particularly around the Scottish Isles. Normally, European otters are nocturnal – resting during the day and hunting at night. The quiet remoteness of the Scottish Isles, however, means otters can be spotted during the day catching fish, crabs and octopus around the coast.
There has also been an increase in the numbers of ‘urban’ otters – those that scamper around rivers running through small cities and towns. The otters will happily utilise storm drains





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Otter Physiology



A male otter is called a ‘dog’, a female otter is called a ‘bitch’ and young otters are ‘cubs’, although there are references to the young as pups and kits.
Oooh, smelly!
Otters have interesting poo! Like all mustelids, otters have anal scent glands at the base of their tail and they emit a ‘musty’ scent all over their poo.


Otter poo is referred to as ‘spraint’ and has a very distinctive aroma. It not only contains the scent of the anal gland but all the other bits that the otter has been eating – fish, frogs, bones, shells and scales – and is quite smelly! However, descriptions range from rotten fish to freshly mown lawn and even jasmine tea! Either way, it’s going to challenge your nostrils!
To ease the passage of sharp bones and shells through the



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Otter Physiology


Research shows that scents differ between adult males, juveniles, females and lactating females. Evidence indicates that pregnant and lactating females refrain from ‘scenting’ so as not to attract any aggressive males to their young and, instead, will hide their spraint in the water.
The origin of the word ‘otter’ appears to come from the Old English word ‘otor’, ‘ottor’ or even ‘oter’. However, many etymologies offer ‘wodr’ – a word that eventually gives rise to the modern English word for ‘water’.
There are several places in the UK with ‘otter’ names: in Devon, there’s Otterton and Ottery St Mary, through which the River Otter flows. Ottershaw in Surrey boasts The Otter pub and


otter’s digestive system, a jelly-like substance is produced in the stomach. This, along with urine and the musty spray from the scent glands, is added to the digested food deposits. Spraint is used to send messages to other otters, signposting the way home and marking territories and, as Eurasian otters are mostly solitary, scent marking is their main means of communication. It is thought that all the information about the otter is passed on through the spraint including warnings about territories and patches that are ‘home’ for a particular otter. Indeed, the spraint is left in ‘obvious’ spots for other otters who might be chancing a challenge on a territory. It will also be a clear call to any males in the area if a female is ready to mate.


The origin of the word ‘otter’ appears to come from the Old English word ‘otor’, ‘ottor’ or even ‘oter’. However, many etymologies offer ‘wodr’ – a word that eventually gives rise to the modern English word for ‘water’.