The Otter Family
Otters have lived on the earth for the last 30 million years or so - this has been proved by fossil remains. .They are members of the Mustelid family - the family which includes badgers, weasels, polecats, stoats and mink.. Otters live on both land and in the water. There are thirteen different species seen over the world. Otters are inquisitive, playful and intelligent. They are semi-aquatic mammals and live in holts around water edges. They are fast and agile swimmers. They are shy secretive animals and tend to stay away from humans. Otters are the only known marine animals that don't have blubber - they have their fur to keep them warm.

13 Species - Only One In Scotland - The European or Eurasion Otter - Lutra Lutra

There are 13 known species of otter in the world but the only one found in the UK is the European (or Eurasian) otter (Lutra lutra). Within the Lutra Lutra species - there are four sub species. The European Otter is also found in other parts of the world - France, Greece, Spain and Turkey. The European otter has an acute sense of sight, smell and hearing. Although they are often called sea otters - the sea otter is a different species. Actually the sea otter is the only otter which doesn't have a muscle in its tail. THe otters we get here in the Western Isles - (the lutra lutra) or European otters all use the muscle in their tails to good advantage as a powerful weapon as well as to assist navigation in the water. Although the Eurasion or European otters do swim and feed in the sea they are not sea otters.

Gaelic Name for the Otter - Dobhran
The otter, also known in Northwest Scotland by its Gaelic name Dobhran and Beaste Dubh (black beast)

Decline & RIse of the Otter Population in the UK - Conservation - Protection
Otters re-colonised the British Isles after the last Ice Age, more recently, otters were present throughout Great Britain in the early 1950s, but from the mid-1950s to late 1970s there was a dramatic decline. This mirrored what was happening across much of Europe. The decline occurred across Scotland, England and Wales, but it was most dramatic in England. By the late 1970s the only healthy populations were in parts of Scotland, although small populations remained in Wales and northern and south-western England.

The decline was mainly due to the use of pesticides used in the in the rivers in the 60's and early 70's and also the habitat destruction, particularly the drainage of wet areas. Persistent organ-ochlorine pesticides, which otters accumulate in their bodies because they are at the top of the food chain, were in widespread use at the time.

Although now the otter population is on the rise - it was up till recently that the only part of the Uk where otters could be seen was Scotland. Today there is also a rising population in England.

Otters are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Otters cannot be killed, kept or sold (even stuffed specimens) except under licence. You can be prosecuted if you deliberately capture - or injure a wild otter, or if you do anything that will cause the otters inability to breed and produce and nurture its young. you can be prosecuted If you disturb an otters shelter. The otter was given priority species for conservation status in 1995.

�

�

Coastal Dwelling Otter Population in Scotland The Scottish population of coastal dwelling otters is of great importance as it comprises perhaps 50% or more of the entire population of coastal dwelling otters. Nowhere else in the British Isles are coastal habitats more important for this species than the coast and islands of western Scotland. This is probably why coastal otters are often referred to as ‘sea otters’ despite the fact that they are exactly the same species as the animals which inhabit freshwaters further inland. The true sea otter is a distinct species which occurs off the west coast of North America

Lifespan
The average lifespan of an otter is around twelve years.

Otters - Scarce and Secretive - Can be Hard to See
Few people see otters in the wild in Britain because they are scarce and secretive. Even where they do occur, it is more usual to see an otter’s droppings (spraint) than the animal itself, except perhaps on Scotland’s west coast. Otters are elusive creatures by nature and are often only active at night, especially around dawn and dusk - which makes the chances of a chance encounter a little slim. We were extremely luck here in the Western Isles one day in May 2010 - when we happened upon a group of otters playing and fishing and feeding near a jetty - Flodobay - Isle of Harris.

Habitat
Otters are strongly territorial, living alone for the most part, with individual's home ranges varying between 1-40 km, with about 18 km being usual, depending on the density of food available. The otters here in Scotland spend quite a lot of time on land - as infact most otters do (with the exception of the sea otter who spends most time in the sea)

Description of the Eurasion (European Otter - Lutra Lutra

The anatomy of the otter allows it to do equally well on land or in the water. The European otter has a long body, short legs with clawed webbed feet and a, flat head with small eyes�and ears. They have , broad muzzles with prominent whiskers which are very sensitive and can easily pick up vibrations which help them find their prey. The otters have a thick tail that tapers to a point and is ideal for fast swimming..

These otters are dusky brown in colour with a lighter-coloured belly. They have a white mark on the neck near the whiskers which is different in each individual. The whole of the body is covered with guard hairs that are stiff and coarse and covered in an oil that the European otter produces. This oil acts as a water repellent and is so effective that the skin never gets wet.The fur is very long - at least the top coat is very long - underneath that there is a shorter coat that helps to keep their skin dry.

An otter grooms itself frequently and this keeps its coat sleek and waterproof. The coat's long, stiff guard hairs are covered with oil to repel water. The thick under fur traps an insulating layer of air and the skin never gets wet.

Ears, eyes and nostrils are set on top of head to help surface swimming.The nose looks like a hexagon with small dips on each side. The nostrils are in the middle. The eyes being placed high on the head so that it can see when the rest of the body is below water. The small eyes - probably mean we think that - on land the otter is short sighted - however otters do have the ability to modify the shape of the lens in the eye to make it more spherical and then they can overcome the refraction of water. In clear water and good light they can fish by sight.

�

Bubbles of air trapped in their fur give them a silvery appearance underwater.

Otters Nose - teeth and scent The otters nose is black and is quite large on the otters face - they have a really great sense of smell - and it is thought that some of the food they eat - is hunted for just because of a liking of its smell. The otter had very sharp teeth - a full grown otter has 32 teeth mostly molars. The otters have three pairs of incisors - they use them to crunch and grind the food. � Each otters "scent" is different and unique to the individual.

�

Size:
The males ( 'dogs' ) head and body can be up to 90cm (36 ins) with its tail being 40 cm (16in). The females are smaller

Habits
Otters are mainly nocturnal and hunt in open, marshy places, rivers, lakes, seashores and estuaries. They will often travel a long way in search of food. They are strong, agile swimmers and catch fish by chasing them underwater. They grip the prey with sharp teeth and powerful jaws, carrying the catch ashore to eat it. In undisturbed areas an otter often spends part of the day playing away from water, near to a 'lying up' den, which is usually under riverside tree roots.

�

Otters can swim on their backs as well as their stomachs. Otters spend a lot of time grooming themselves as their fur is vital to their survival - they need to keep oil and other substances off their fur - otherwise they wouldn't stay warm in the water.

Diet
Most of the otter’s diet is fish but they do also eat small amphibians like frogs etc. They also eat, crayfish, waterfowl and small mammals. Otters eat 15% - 25% of their body weight every day - that's quite some food which is why they can spend up to five hours of their day finding food. Generally otters will hunt in the early morning or late afternoon

Otters really don't have a preference as to one type of fish or another - they are opportunists and will eat whatever type they come across.

Eels are often cited as a ‘favourite’ food source, and where present and abundant they are frequent prey. However, studies across the range of the Eurasian otter show that there is no general dependence on any particular prey species – they will exploit those species available locally. Where eels have declined, otters will take a higher proportion of other species, some of which may be more abundant as a result of the lower number of eels.

Otters catch and eat mostly live animals only infrequently eating dead fish or animals. Their average daily consumption of food in captivity is about 1.5kg/day.

Territory
The otter is a shy, solitary animal and needs a large territory. One male has a territory of up to 40km of clean, undisturbed riverbank. It regularly patrols the territory, marking it here and there with droppings called 'spraints'. These have a scent which tells other otters that the territory is already occupied.

Shelters - Couches
Otters make two types of structures - couches and holts. Couches can be nest-like structures (0.3-1m in diameter) made from nearby vegetation or sometimes just a depression in a stick pile or under a windblown tree. Couches are often in a patch of vegetation where it is the patch, rather than the couch site itself, which is important. Sometimes an otter may� sleep in a different part of the patch of vegetation on different occasions or even move within the patch during the day

Shelters - Holts
Female otters with cubs live in holt which is often away from the riverbank or coastline edge and well hidden in a smaller territory within the male's territory, who is usually the cubs' father .Otter Holts are lined with grass, reeds , twigs and other vegetation. Otters may dig their own holts but often make use of other structures ranging from enlarged rabbit holes and cavities amongst tree roots to rock piles and man made structures.� They often mark these structures with spraints (faeces), although natal holts (where the young are born) can have few revealing features, probably to avoid drawing attention to them.�

Breeding
European otters become sexually mature at the age of 2 or 3 for males and 3 or 4 for females. If they have a good habitat and plenty of food and are thriving then they may mate more than once that season. Apart from the mating the two sexes males and females stay separate - with the exception of the young males who sometimes stay with their mothers a little while. Males and females will breed at any time and although the "courtship" takes place on land - the mating takes place in water.

The male picks up the scent of the female in season and goes looking for her. The two otters chase each other along the shore, disappearing into the sea and diving, swimming. The male often stays close to the female for about a week before venturing on to pastures new.

After a gestation period of about 63 days 1-4 pups are born, which remain dependent on the mother for a year. She raises them alone. The male plays no role in parental care, because a few days before the young otters are born, the female otter begins to bite her partner until the male otter leaves. Otherwise the male otter would probably eat his young generation, because he is not able to tell the difference between rats and new born otters.

Pups

The pups are born blind, naked and only 4 in. long. Although they can be born at any time of year - it is usually between May and August that they are born. Newborns are about 12cm long, but grow quickly.

At six weeks the pups can see and are taught to swim. Strangely enough, young otters are not natural swimmers and the fluffy coat of the young makes it difficult, so they are often dragged into the water by the mother, The mother will wean the pups at 4 months but the pups will stay with her until they are 8 to 12 months old - when the pups will leave to find their own territory. By then they will have learned vital hunting skill. They become mature and can breed on themselves at 2 years old.

Should a mother lose her pup - she will have the immediate desire to and will mate again quite quickly providing she isn't living under any stressful conditions.

Folklore - Scottish Name - Dratsie - Otter Kings
A Scottish name for the otter is the 'dratsie', and in Scottish tradition there are tales of 'Otter Kings' who were accompanied by seven black otters. When captured, these beasts would grant any wish in exchange for their freedom. But their skins were also prized for their ability to render a warrior invincible, and were thought to provide protection against drowning. Luckily, the Otter Kings were hard to kill, their only vulnerable point being a small point below their chin.

�

Communication

Otters communicate using vocal expression such as whistles, birdlike twittering and spitting almost sometimes like chuckling and screaming. . They can identify the various different sounds - mothers and pups are able to recognize the sounds of each other even when there are many otters in the same area.

�

They can also communicate using spraint which are used to mark their territory. Over 100 different scent components of otter dropping have been identified. About 17 of these are thought to contain information on sex, age and even individual recognition, which can be used by other otters.