common_nature | Otter!

So I was wandering around Mansfield (Massachusetts) yesterday, after a busy afternoon, and I wanted to find some ducks to hang out with. Mansfield isn’t like, *urban*, but it has a lot of stores and houses and so on, and its public park is basically surrounded by street and not very large. The map implies it is larger and more accessible than it was, so I grumped at it and followed the river past the police station, and found a much nicer and more secluded pond with some public access, but no ducks. I was enjoying the more secluded nature of it when I saw an *otter*!

Otter! Yay! I have, you see, never seen an otter in the wild. In aquariums, yes. In the wild, no. I assume it was a river otter, because this was like 40 miles from any shoreline, but I didn’t get an up close look, so I suppose it *could* have been a very lost sea otter.

Anyway. So I took some pictures, enjoyed it, lost track of it, and went around to the other side of the pond to see if I could regain track of it, but it was thoroughly unfindable. Though also thoroughly awesome.

They have really long tails. And breathe huffily pretty loudly.

I confess that I really did think it was some wood, at first, until my camera focused.

I think he (or she) was interested in me, too.

Eventually, though, he was pretty far away. Bye otter!

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cmcmck

Just fabulous!

You're not so far from us up here in north Shropshire.

Or wouldn't be if you were in that Mansfield! :o)

Edited Date: 2021-01-24 10:52 am (UTC)

tree_and_leaf

Oh, lucky you, how gorgeous!

PS: assuming you mean Masfield in the UK, there's only one species of otter in Britain, the Eurasian Otter. They can live along the coast, but they need regular access to fresh water as their fur is not adapted to salt and they need to clean it in fresh water. People sometimes call UK otters that live by the coast sea otters, but they are not true Sea Otters, like you get in the Pacific North West.

Edited Date: 2021-01-23 05:20 pm (UTC)

julian

Nope, I should have been more specific; this is Mansfield, Massachusetts (USA). As I had understood it, there were two species we could possibly get -- North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) or sea otter, Enhydra lutris. AS it turns out, however, having now done the reading, the latter doesn't come to our turf at all, they're mostly in the Pacific Northwest area.

So! River Otter.

Ah, sorry for making assumptions! The North American River Otter looks a lot like the Eurasian Otter, it seems. Anyway, what a great spot, and thanks for sharing!

No worries.

And yes! Quite similar. But the Eurasian one has a longer tail. (And I think different claws? Can't remember.)

shirebound

What a wonderful sighting. I saw a beaver in the wild once, but never an otter.

I've seen muskrats before, myself. And have had a beaver slap its tail at me, but I didn't see it. (Other people I was hanging out with did, hence why I know what the heck happened.)