Otters are predatory animals of the mustelid family, leading an aquatic lifestyle. In nature, there are 17 species of otters. The closest relatives to these animals are sea otters, sometimes called sea otters.

Eastern clawless otter (Aonyx cinerea).

In general, otters are not very large animals: the body length in most species does not exceed 1 m, and the weight is 10-12 kg. The exception is the giant otter from South America, in which the body length can reach up to 1.5 m, and weight up to 30 kg! Otters have a characteristic appearance for all mustelids: a very elongated, flexible body, short paws with tenacious claws, a short neck and a flattened head with small ears. Their tail is also long and muscular. Otters have small but sharp teeth. Distinctive feature of these animals are swimming membranes on their paws. The fur of all otter species is very short and extremely thick. Such fur does not let water through and is highly valued. The color of all species of otters is brown with a lighter throat and abdomen.

Otters live on all continents except Australia. These animals are very closely connected with water and settle along the banks of rivers with a gentle current. However, the cat otter from South America prefers the sea coasts, and the African Congolese otter settles in mountain rivers with a stormy current. Most often, otters live in burrows, sometimes they occupy caves near the water or make a den in reed beds. All otters are solitary except for a short period when the female is raising the young. Only giant otters form permanent family groups of 10-15 individuals. Otters occupy permanent sites, which are marked and guarded against the intrusion of neighbors. In case of a lack of food, otters can wander, for example, an ordinary otter can travel 10-15 km per day in winter, which is a lot for an animal with such short legs.

An otter jumping into the water.

All species of otters feed mainly on fish, sometimes supplementing it with crustaceans, molluscs, bird eggs or terrestrial rodents. These animals are quite voracious and spend a lot of time in search of food. In the water, otters are unusually dexterous: they swim fast, dive deep and can hold their breath for several minutes. Under water, these animals move like loaches, bending the body, tumbling and capsizing. Not a single fish can resist the dexterity of otters! Otters are such successful hunters that when they are full they often catch fish for play - then they release it, then they catch it again.

The otter eats its prey.

In the absence of fish, otters love to tumble in the river and, in general, spend a lot of time in the water, even clean themselves there. Otters devote a lot of time to their toilet, because its heat-conducting properties depend on the purity of their fur. otters temperate zone are not afraid of frost and even at low temperatures dive into the water.

An otter on the ice of the river eats a mined mollusk.

Otters breed once a year, usually the breeding season occurs in spring (for northern species) or the beginning of the rainy season (for African otters).

A pair of otters

In common and other temperate otters, an interesting phenomenon is observed: after fertilization, the development of the embryo stops (this is called the latent, that is, the latent phase), and then continues again.

Baby otter.

The duration of the latent period can be up to 270 days! Thus, the female can bring offspring in January and April of the next year. There are 2-4 cubs in a brood. They are born blind and helpless, they see clearly only after a month. Young for a long time stay with their mother, mastering the difficult art of water hunting.

Depending on the area where one or another species of otter lives, its enemies can be wolves, crocodiles, jaguars or predator birds, which can catch an otter that has moved away from the river. But main enemy otter is hunger. A dexterous otter can catch any fish, but is helpless in the face of its absence. Therefore, these animals are found only in remote and untouched corners of nature, where the proximity of people and water pollution do not undermine fish stocks. In general, otters suffered greatly from the hand of man. The unique fur of the otter, which is considered the most wearable (durable) fur in the world, has made these animals the object of an insatiable hunt. In many places, the populations of this animal are undermined by fishing, and some species of otters are on the verge of extinction. The situation is aggravated by the fact that otters, due to the specifics of their biology, cannot be bred in captivity in industrial scale(like minks, for example), although these animals are very smart and easily tamed. Only widespread protection can save these wonderful animals.

The river otter is called European or common. This animal of the weasel family is a predatory mammal. Otters can be found not only in water, but also on land. In the European part of the continent, this animal in a single form represents a group of "semi-aquatic predatory mammals from the marten family. Otter habitats are rivers and lakes with fresh water. The otter is a fairly large animal. The length of her body is from 55 to 95 centimeters, she weighs about ten kilograms.

Since the animal leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle, it has some external differences: it is flexible, highly elongated, subtle body, the tail, the length of which is almost half the length of the body, short paws, making the otter outwardly squat, there are swimming membranes between the fingers. The small, narrow and flattened head is quite long neck. The otter has small, rounded ears, and its eyes are directed forward and upward. When the animal is in the water, its ear canals are closed by flaps.

The coat of the otter is not long, but at the same time there is a very thick down. Her fur is shiny, rather coarse, close to the body, Brown slightly lighter on the belly than on the back. In winter, the animal's fur is longer than in summer. There is no wool on the feet and hands.

Habitats. Lifestyle and nutrition.

The freshwater otter lives in almost the entire European part, except for Switzerland and the Netherlands, and is also found in Asia and North Africa. In Russia, it cannot be found only in the Far North.

As mentioned above, this animal leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle. Otters are excellent divers and swimmers, as they have to feed in the water. Most often, the otter can be seen in forest rivers, in which there are a lot of fish, and less often - on the shores of lakes. For their dwelling, otters prefer rivers with whirlpools and rapids, which are not covered with ice in winter, or shores washed by water, where there are windbreaks and places for holes. Sometimes otters choose coastal caves for housing or build something like a nest near the water. However, it is worth noting that the entrance to its hole is always under water.

Each otter has its own places for hunting, it can be a stretch of water from two to eighteen kilometers and about a hundred meters deep coastal zone. In winter, when there are few fish, the stocks run out, the polynyas are covered with ice, the animal is forced to look for food elsewhere. Sometimes they have to travel long distances. If there is a slope on its way, the otter slides down from it on its belly, leaving a trace resembling a gutter. In a day, the animal is able to walk up to twenty kilometers on ice and snow.

The otter is distinguished by secrecy and caution, especially at a time when it is forced to be on land. Before leaving the reservoir, she carefully examines the nearby space, and masks the place of landfall with branches and a fin. Having come out on land, the beast always goes along the shore, only if necessary it starts swimming. On the water, the otter moves with the flow, and if a rift or threshold occurs on the way, it bypasses them on land. This animal, walking along the coast against the current, knows how to find a short path, unmistakably finding the narrowest place of the bends. On each path of its passage there is a section in which the otter runs quickly without stopping. Having reached the reservoir, she dives into the water directly from the path, and if the coast is steep, she slides down on her belly. The paths of the otter are different from those of the river beaver. The path of the otter always goes along the coast, not moving away from the water, and the beavers walk perpendicular to the coast. And the trace of an otter cannot be confused with any other. In its tracks, one can clearly see the impressions of the membranes, and between the tracks of the paws, a trail of a trailing tail.

The otter is very mobile and has a playful disposition, especially she likes to roll down from different elevations. Moreover, adult animals, like their cubs, love to slide off steep banks and flop into the water. The places of their games can be identified by polished slopes, the height of which can reach up to twenty meters. In winter, their games change a little, the otters scatter and then slide on their belly two or three meters in the snow. It is clear that after that a trace remains in the snow, similar to a gutter. Most likely, this is not just fun, but a necessity, since in this way the otter squeezes moisture out of the fur.

The animal feeds on fish. On the Volga, she hunts carp and pike, she does this in channels with stagnant water and reeds. In the northern rivers, its food is graylings that live on the rifts. In the Murmansk rivers, the subject of her hunting is trout and cod, and on Kola Peninsula predator catches trout and pike. But at the same time, her preference, nevertheless, is a small fish, therefore, in spawning places, she devours fry with pleasure.

The otter is not a paired animal. As a rule, mating takes place in early spring, always in the water. The bearing by the female of her cubs, together with the latent period, is about two hundred and seventy days, but the bearing itself is two months. As a rule, otter cubs are born from two to four. They are born blind. Individuals are considered sexually mature at about two years of age.

The otter is a valuable fur. Otter hunting restrictions.

This animal has not only beautiful, but also very durable fur, the wear of which is one hundred percent. When processing fur, coarse hairs are plucked out, leaving a thick down. The most valuable is the otter fur that lives in Alaska. Fur coats made of otter fur can withstand about thirty seasons of wear, especially the fur of sea otters.

However, due to the uncontrolled hunting of these animals and the widespread use of pesticides in agriculture population has declined significantly. In the year 2000, the otter was listed by the World Conservation Union as a vulnerable animal species. And in the Sverdlovsk region it was listed in the Red Book.

Otter hunting with a trap.

You can hunt otters different ways, but, most often, hunters use traps. It happens that an animal accidentally falls into a trap set for a beaver, since their paths and hunting grounds are the same. Specifically, setting a trap on an otter is quite difficult and few people know how to do it correctly.

Track traps

To begin with, at the beginning of autumn, reconnaissance of the territory near water bodies should be carried out and whether there are otters there. Most often, an otter can be found near beaver dam crossings, under cliffs, or near pools. On the wet ground of the shore, the five-toed footprints of the otter are clearly visible and easily distinguishable. And also in feeding places near dams, where there are a lot of fish, you can see their droppings.

This is where the traps should be set. Traps No. 3 and No. 5, which have a sim or plate alert, are well suited. Better, of course, the first, as it is more sensitive to pressure. This trap is triggered as soon as the paw of the animal steps on the trap, and a secure grip occurs. Do not forget that the trap you set must be tested. After purchasing the trap, carefully remove the grease from it and treat it as follows: put dry grass and leaves in a bucket, place the trap there and pour boiling water over it. Then there will be no odors left.

Traps on a floating log.

Such a trap can be set as follows: downstream, firmly install two stakes in the bottom of the reservoir, so that the distance between them is 3-4 meters. Attach a stump of a log or a board to the stakes with a wire, about a meter long, at least thirty centimeters wide, so that the log is between them. A trap is set on a log or board. To do this, a recess is made corresponding to the size of the trap. You should also take care to disguise the trap, for example, with dry algae or what you find on the shore.

So that an animal that has fallen into a trap does not leave with it, it must be firmly fixed with a chain or thick wire to the bracket, which must first be hammered into a log. To a peg that is upstream, tie a piece on a strong fishing line butter wrapped in clean gauze. An otter from afar will smell the oil and start looking for an object that exudes this aroma. She will swim up to the log and climb onto it, immediately falling into a trap. If she manages to jump into the water with a trap, she will die.

Traps in the otter's "latrine"

This is one of the most prey types of otter hunting. To apply it, you need to know interesting feature of this animal - in its habitat, the otter in several places arranges a kind of "latrines" that it visits daily. So, traps should be set on the paths, on the way to the "latrines". The trap must have long chain- a leash or strong wire, with which it is attached to a heavy stone or peg. The length of the leash should not allow the animal to drag the trap into the water.

Don't forget about disguise. In this case, sand is good. And it is better to use frame traps with a net of harsh threads or strong fishing line. It should be remembered that the otter is a strong animal with fairly muscular paws. Therefore, to hunt it, traps are needed that are durable and have a powerful spring.

Before you install a trap near the "lavatory", do not forget that you need to remove factory grease from it or, if it is old, remove rust. Heat its surface and rub it with wax, which will not only prevent rust, but also eliminate odors that can alert the animal. This type of otter hunting can only be used from the beginning of the hunting season until ice appears on the water.

Fish bait trap

This type of hunting is especially successful in winter fishing, during the period when the otter moves along the river under a layer of ice. The trap should be set in a hole. IN winter period The otter leads a particularly secretive life, and finding its habitat is not easy. When there is a lot of snow, the animal rarely approaches the surface, making its way under the ice layer from one between polynyas. If the otter is lucky and finds a polynya with an abundance of fish, then it may well stay there for several days. At the same time, the animal may not come to the surface, devouring prey right in the polynya.

In winter, the otter can be found by the holes it makes in the snow. Cautiously making his way under the ice, the animal comes to the surface, breaking through the thick snow with its strong body. Sticking its head out of the snow, the otter looks around, and then again sinks under the ice. After that, a hole remains in the snow - an outlet, round shape about twelve centimeters in diameter. In places of vents, it is worth carefully examining the polynyas. If you notice otter droppings, fish or frog bones, and webbed footprints there, then this is where the trap should be set. Even if the animal has already left this place, it will definitely return to it in a few days.

For this type of hunting, both frame and plate traps with teeth on arcs No. 3 and No. 5 are suitable. The trap is placed in the water, at a depth of thirty centimeters to the bottom. For bait, you should take only fresh fish, for example, medium-sized burbot - the most favorite food for otters. A fish in a frame trap is attached, passed through its abdomen, with a strong thread to a tailor, or simply tied with a thread with a fish to the frame and guard of the trap.

In plate traps, the bait is fixed to the plate, so that the head of the fish is directed against the current. In this case, it looks like a living fish that stands still, moving its tail and fins. Also, you can use frogs for bait if you prepare them in the fall. The animal, seeing the bait, makes a swift throw to it and falls headlong into the trap.

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, or common otter, or or piston(lat. Lutra lutra) - a species of predatory mammals of the weasel family, leading a semi-aquatic lifestyle; one of three types otter genus (Lutra). In the literature, the word "otter" usually refers to this particular species.

This is the only representative of a large group of semi-aquatic predatory mammals from the mustelid family in our country, living in fresh water bodies - rivers and lakes. The closest relatives of our otter live in the tropics South-East Asia and Africa.

Appearance

The otter is a large animal with an elongated, flexible, streamlined body. Body length - 55-95 cm, tail - 26-55 cm, weight - 6-10 kg, an animal with a very characteristic appearance reflecting the adaptability to life in water. The body is strongly elongated and relatively thin, very flexible. The tail is long (about half the length of the body), very thick at the base and tapering towards the end. The paws are short, which makes the animal look squat, the fingers are connected by swimming membranes. The neck is rather long, only slightly narrower than the body. The head is small, narrow, strongly flattened, the eyes are oriented forward and upward (almost like those of seals), the rounded ears are short and widely spaced. In water, the external auditory meatus is closed by a special valve.

Fur color: dark brown above, light, silvery below. The guard hairs are coarse, but the underfur is very thick and delicate. The density of the woolly cover can reach 51 thousand per 1 cm2. Such a high density of the undercoat makes the fur completely impervious to water and perfectly insulates the body of the animal, protecting it from hypothermia. The body structure of the otter is adapted for swimming under water: a flat head, short legs, a long tail.

In summer, the fur is only slightly shorter and sparser than in winter. Covering hairs in their terminal third are wide and flattened, as if covering downy hairs, protecting them from getting wet in water. The feet and hands are bare underneath.

Spreading

The most widespread member of the otter subfamily. It is found in a vast area covering almost all of Europe (except the Netherlands and Switzerland), Asia (except the Arabian Peninsula) and North Africa. In Russia, it is found everywhere, including in the Far North in Magadan region, in Chukotka.

Lifestyle and nutrition

Water is vital for the otter: in it she gets food, seeks salvation from danger. But the land also has otters in its life great importance: on it the beast arranges shelters and breeds, rests, makes transitions between reservoirs. In our area, the main factor on which the presence of the otter depends is the presence of water bodies that do not completely freeze in cold weather: in winter, polynyas and "vents" through which it penetrates into the water are important for its survival. A powerful ice cover is an insurmountable barrier for the otter, making it impossible to obtain underwater food (and this predator hardly hunts on land).

The otter leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle, perfectly swimming, diving and getting its food in the water. An otter can stay underwater for up to 2 minutes.

It lives mainly in forest rivers rich in fish, less often in lakes and ponds. Found on the coast. Prefers rivers with whirlpools, with rapids that do not freeze in winter, with washed-out, littered with windbreak banks, where there are many reliable shelters and places for burrowing. Sometimes he makes his lairs in caves or, like a nest, in thickets near the water. The entrance holes of its holes open under water.

The hunting grounds of one otter in summer make up a section of the river from 2 to 18 km long and about 100 m deep into the coastal zone. In winter, with the depletion of fish stocks and the freezing of polynyas, it is forced to roam, sometimes crossing high watersheds straight across. At the same time, the otter descends from the slopes, rolling down on its belly, leaving a characteristic trace in the form of a gutter. It travels up to 15-20 km per day on ice and snow.

Where the otter is not pursued by hunters, she, unlike the mink, prefers rivers with clear water, fast-flowing and rocky channel, rivers with steep overhanging banks, bypassing bodies of water with stagnant or slowly flowing opaque water, silted or overgrown with aquatic vegetation. In quiet places, this beast settles even on the outskirts of large cities. However, in places where the otter is actively hunted, it prefers the most remote places - forests with dense undergrowth, reed beds, weaves of tugai. There, the otter settles in small rivers with cluttered channels, blockages and deadwood crevices. This sometimes prevents the otter from hunting, but it makes such places hardly accessible to humans.

The habitat of the river otter, individual or family, is small, limited by a narrow coastal strip, the width of which rarely exceeds 200-300 meters. In reservoirs rich in food, this predator lives settledly in the territory stretching along the river for 2-5 kilometers. Where there is little food, the territory occupied by the animal may consist of separate hunting areas, which it looks at once every 2-3 days. The owner marks certain places on his territory with urine and excrement (that is why they are sometimes not quite correctly called “otter latrines”), but relations between neighbors are quite peaceful. And in unfavorable periods of life, the boundaries between habitats practically disappear: animals gather in places where there is more food or it is more accessible, they hunt near each other, and use the same convenient entry under the ice.

IN Hard times the otter turns into an avid traveler, and in different regions the reasons that prompt the animal to change its place of residence can be completely different. In the north, the otter starts moving due to the unfavorable ice regime: the animal leads a virtually semi-nomadic lifestyle in winter, moving from polynya to polynya, from one reservoir to another for a distance of up to 30 kilometers, in some places even up to 60 kilometers. In the lower reaches of the rivers, where floods are high, the otter is forced to make spring migrations and returns to inhabited places only with the descent of hollow waters. IN Central Asia migrations, on the contrary, are caused by summer shallowing and drying up of water bodies: the otter goes to where more water. On Far East movements of otters from one river to another are usually associated with the spawning run of red fish: in the middle of summer, the fish-eating predator rises after the prey to the upper reaches of the rivers, in the fall after it “rolls down” to the lower reaches.

In its habitat, the otter equips one permanent hole and several temporary shelters and shelters. She usually digs a hole in the steep bank, even if it is not high; if possible, occupies someone else's. In winter, the otter's refuge is located near a polynya or under a canopy of a steep bank under the ice surface, where an empty space forms between the ice and receded water. The burrow opening opens under water at a depth of about half a meter. An inclined passage up to 2 meters long leads to the nesting chamber, which is always located above the water level and lined with dry grass, foliage, and moss. From the chamber to the surface of the earth, the otter breaks through 1-2 small vents that serve for ventilation. In lowlands, where low banks and high level groundwater does not allow digging suitable burrows, it arranges shelters in high creases of reeds or deadwood, in piles of "fin" half-buried by sand or dried silt - trunks and branches of trees brought ashore. In well-defended nooks and crannies, the otter breeds her young even in ground-based dens set up under folds.
The otter can be active around the clock, but most often it can be seen at dusk in the morning and evening. Activity increases markedly on quiet moonlit nights, and in winter when the weather is mild. During the darkest autumn nights and in winter, the predator often catches fish during daylight hours, when it is better to see under water. Otters are least willing to leave their shelters when strong wind, especially if a blizzard spins or it rains.

On land, the otter, moving in steps, trots or jumps, hunches heavily and therefore seems somewhat awkward. However, a person can hardly catch up with a running otter, especially along a viscous shore or snow: the beast can reach speeds of up to 25 km / h. In the water, the movements of the otter are fast, dexterous and confident. When swimming slowly, it usually rows with its paws, and when moving quickly, it presses its legs to the body and moves forward with energetic serpentine movements of the entire body and tail. She dives instantly, often with a strong splash, but if necessary, she goes under water completely silently. In case of danger, the otter takes in air in a split second, sometimes for this she only needs to put the tip of her muzzle out of the water. Under water, it can be up to 5 minutes: the path of a dived otter can be traced by the bubbles of air exhaled by it.

This predator is very secretive and cautious, especially on land. Before leaving the water, the animal is sure to look around, and usually covers the places of landfall with a fin or branches. Bypassing his site, the otter where it goes by the shore, and where it moves by swimming. Waterway she prefers going downstream, and bypasses areas with rifts and rapids on dry land. Climbing along the bank upstream of a winding river, this smart beast often takes a short cut, crossing the bends at the narrowest point. The paths of such regular transitions are marked by well-marked paths along which the otter runs quickly without stopping. Having reached the water, the animal goes into it from the path rapidly, and from the steep bank it simply rolls down on its belly. The paths trampled by the otter are easy to distinguish from those laid by its neighbors - river beavers: they usually stretch along the coast near the water, and beavers always go perpendicular coastline. Otter tracks on wet coastal soil or on snow are also difficult to confuse with others: paws leave imprints of interdigital membranes, a dash from a trailing tail stretches between a double chain of tracks.

The otter is very mobile. Possessing a cheerful disposition, she devotes a lot of time to various kinds of games, especially she loves to ride from hills. Both kids and adults, having fun, slide down the coastal slope many times and flop into the water. In such places, “rolling hills” are formed - descents smoothly polished by animal bodies on steep banks from 5 to 20 meters long. On dense snow, the animal from time to time, having run up, slides on its belly, driving 2-3 meters, and down the slope and all 20-30 meters, leaving behind a characteristic groove. However, sometimes this is not only a game, but also a way of squeezing out the fur, which is also characteristic of the mink.

The river otter is a typical fish-eater. In the Volga delta, she prefers carp, as well as pikes, it is easy for an otter to hunt them in almost stagnant water of countless canals overgrown with reeds. In the northern rivers, the favorite "dish" is char and grayling, living mainly on the riffles, and the inhabitants of the pools of whitefish and ide come across on her table not so often. On the Murmansk coast, the predator feeds mainly on cod, brown trout, and on the Kola Peninsula - trout and the same pike. The otter prefers small fish to large ones; in spawning places, it readily catches grown fry. However, one burbot, caught by an otter in Pechora, pulled 4 kilograms.

The winter food of the otter is mainly frogs, which it hardly touches during the ice-free period. So, in the lower reaches of the Volga in winter time these amphibians make up about half of its diet, but in the spring, when frogs are more active and no less available, the otter still prefers to hunt fish. With a lack of basic food, the animal eats large mollusks, mainly toothless. In rivers where there are a lot of crayfish, she eats with pleasure these aquatic inhabitants, and in the south of Siberia she picks up from the bottom of mountain rivers teeming there in summer time caddis larvae. Only as an exception, she catches near the water small mammals(water vole, water shrew) and birds (ducks, shepherds).

The main methods of otter hunting for fish are stalking and stalking. On shallow rifts, the predator guards prey on stones or fallen trees, and sometimes on the shore. An otter and a water rat lie in wait at her holes. She pursues mainly schooling and not too mobile fish, which are easier to catch up with. Often the predator visits “fish pits” - whirlpools with calm water, in which sedentary fish accumulate for overnight stays. There are almost always otter outcrops near these places on the shore. In deep places, it sometimes attacks fish or waterfowl from below, swimming up to it on its back. Under water, she always grabs prey with her mouth, not her paws.

An otter normally eats about 1 kilogram of fish per day. Catching a trifle, she is forced to hunt in several steps, but if she manages to catch large prey, the otter is saturated until the next night. Having seized the fish, the predator usually eats it on the shore or on a stone protruding from the water, in winter - on the edge of the polynya. As an avid gourmet, she eats only freshly caught prey, does not hide the leftovers that she has not eaten and does not return to them anymore. Even the numerous corpses of spawned salmon otters brought ashore by the current are almost never touched by the otter. Therefore, she does not make stocks for the future: stories about finding “fish warehouses”, allegedly arranged by an otter, are the fruit of idle speculation.

Social structure and reproduction

Sexual maturity in otters occurs in the second or third year of life.

Otter breeding is not confined to a specific season of the year, especially in places with a temperate or warm climate. So, in the south of Siberia, hunters found young otters the size of a cat both in July and December. During the rut, males, usually silent, emit a peculiar whistle. Intrauterine development proceeds with a delay, childbirth occurs 7-8 months after mating. The fertility of this animal is low - most often 2-4 cubs are born. Otters develop quite quickly: they begin to see for 9-10 days, by 10 months they weigh about 4 kilograms. The cubs spend the entire first year of life with the female. She is very attached to the young, in case of danger she protects them, sometimes even attacks first, including people. One day, a mother with two cubs, caught by fishermen on a boat in a narrow channel, boldly rushed to protect her offspring, so that she had to be repulsed by a pole, pretty much bitten by her. Only when people left the channel, the female returned to the cubs left in the thick of the flooded bushes.

Baby otters are called pups.

Economic importance

Although in nature the otter avoids humans, in captivity it is easily tamed, in the highest degree friendly. IN southern countries locals sometimes tamed otters are used to catch fish.
This predator has beautiful, durable and warm fur. Previously, the otter was hunted very intensively, which led to sad consequences for it. For example, in the southern Kuriles, hunters completely destroyed the otter. At one time, the otter was also exterminated for the alleged harm allegedly caused to fish farms, although in fact the basis of its diet is the so-called “weed fish”, which is of no particular importance to humans. In recent decades, hunting for it is limited everywhere. And yet in Europe, its number is steadily declining. The number of otters is extremely negatively affected by deforestation on large areas and the resulting decrease in the water level of rivers, as well as irrigation work - drainage, regulation of flow.

In some parts of Bangladesh, otters are used as hunting animals - they drive fish into fishermen's nets (while adults are kept on long leather leashes, and young ones swim freely - they still will not swim away from their parents).

Population status and protection

Hunting and the use of agricultural pesticides have reduced the number of otters. In 2000, the common otter was redlisted by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as a "vulnerable" species.

There is probably no person who would not know what the Red Book is. The river otter is listed in this book as an endangered animal.

waterfowl predator

The river otter (in Latin - Lutra vulgaris) is a medium-sized mammal that is a predator. The otter comes from the marten family.

Appearance

The body shape of the river otter is streamlined, its length is from 55 to 95 centimeters, excluding the tail, which grows up to 55 centimeters. The animal weighs approximately 6 to 10 kilograms. The tail of the animal is not at all fluffy, but is equipped with a large number of muscles. The eyes are small, round, but located on the face so that the animal sees everything around very well. The animal has a thick neck.

Very important role legs play for the river otter: they are short and have membranes. The hind legs are longer than the front ones, this feature allows the otter to easily float on the water and swim quickly.

The fur of the animal below is painted in silver or light tone, but on the back and legs it is dark brown. Special structure hairline keeps the river otter from getting wet in the water. In spring and summer, the animal molts, but the color does not change.

Habitat

The animal is common in the western part of Europe, in addition, the range of the otter includes Asia. In our country, it lives in almost all regions, even in the regions of the Far North.

The animal lives in rivers flowing in the forest, and even in lakes and ponds. There were cases when a river otter was met on the coast of the sea. The rivers are chosen by those in which there are non-freezing rapids and there is a lot of windbreak on the shore: here it is easier for her to hide and make herself a protected and invisible mink.

The dwelling of the river otter is also interesting: the animal makes the entrance to its hole right under water. The otter lines its burrow with grass. Each burrow has two exits

Lifestyle

The river otter is not always in the water, but the main part of its life activity is connected with the aquatic environment. Scientists have noticed that an otter can hold its breath and stay under water for two minutes. Being on land, it moves sinuously, resembling the movements of a snake. When he goes out on the ice, he almost slides on it

The otter is predominantly a nocturnal animal. During the day, she prefers to sit in her “house”, but with the onset of darkness, she goes hunting. This small animal is distinguished by gluttony and even bloodthirstiness. Otters are also very cunning: when they are pursued, they immediately run into the water. And they can even bite their enemy, moreover, very strongly!

River otters are solitary animals, they do not form colonies, sometimes, however, female individuals lead a joint lifestyle with each other. Otters live up to 10 years.

What does a river otter eat?

Of course, based on the lifestyle, the main food is fish, especially carp, pike and trout. But the otter can also hunt other inhabitants. water world. So, for example, she sometimes catches water rats, crayfish, frogs, shrimps. If she didn’t eat aquatic animals during the hunt, she can look after the “food supplement” on land. Rabbits, birds and other rodents sometimes become its victims. In addition, she can use vegetable food.

Breeding

The mating season for otters falls on the first months of spring, in some climatic zones this process is year-round. Mating takes place in the water. The female bears offspring for about 63 days, although the entire pregnancy is 270 days. One female is born from 2 to 4 puppies (that's what otter babies are called). At birth, little otters do not see anything at all. Completely cubs mature by two or three years of their life. Already at this age they are able to acquire their own offspring.

As is known, many species of mammals have only partially mastered water element. Water helps some of them to avoid danger, others get food in it, but in all cases the life of these animals remains closely connected with land. Among the mammals of the domestic fauna, some representatives of insectivores, rodents and carnivores lead such a way of life. They have adapted to living both on land and in water at the same time, that is, they are semi-aquatic animals. Of insectivores, this is primarily a muskrat, of rodents - water vole, muskrat, nutria, beaver; from predatory - mink, river otter, sea ​​otter(or sea otter) and polar bear. They inhabit various inland water bodies - rivers overgrown with aquatic vegetation and their oxbow lakes, lake shores, and are also found in swamps. Some semi-aquatic rodents, such as the water vole, often go far from the water in search of food - into the fields. Semi-aquatic swim and dive perfectly, while on land many of them move no worse than terrestrial mammals.

A stronger connection with water is observed in representatives of marine semi-aquatic animals - pinnipeds and sea otters. Their adaptations to an aquatic lifestyle have gone so far that they feel much less confident on land than in water. However, unlike the other group marine mammals- cetaceans, they have retained a strong connection with the land, where they breed and feed their offspring, molt and rest. For these purposes, they use islands, coastal rocks, sand bars or floating ice floes, as well as the coast of the continents and coastal ice.

In landscape and ecological terms, sea coasts should be singled out as a separate, intrazonal unit corresponding to the rank of the zone. The main factor characterizing all coastal habitats of animals is their location at the junction of two environments - water and land. large group animals finds the best nesting, feeding and protective conditions here. Therefore, it is for sea ​​coasts such mass accumulations of animals are characteristic at the most crucial time of their life - during periods of reproduction, like bird rookeries and rookeries of sea animals. Recall that it is customary to include in the generalized concept of "sea animal" primarily numerous representatives of the order of pinnipeds, as well as the sea otter from the order of carnivores, which was once widespread on the shores of many island systems and continents in the northern part Pacific Ocean. As for the pinnipeds, even now they are counted in total about twenty million heads.

The active use of water as a habitat caused the appearance of a number of morphological features and specific behavioral traits in semi-aquatic species. Life in water and on land, that is, in conditions of environments with different physical characteristics, could not but affect the methods of intraspecific communication of animals. In this regard, the question first of all arises of whether this is reflected in the sound communication system of semi-aquatic animals, and also whether the hearing and sound signaling of these animals depend on the degree of their adaptation to aquatic environment? To do this, consider hearing and sound signaling in representatives of two different groups of mammals - rodents and pinnipeds.