North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis)

Description: Although typically found in rivers as their name suggests, the American river otter is sometimes sighted in estuaries, beaches, and in the ocean. People often confuse river otters for sea otters, but a river otter can be identified by its long sleek body, small arms and legs, and its behavior. River otters are shaped like their weasel relatives and grow to about 4 feet long, weighing between 10 and 30 lbs. River otters are “semi-aquatic”, meaning that they spend a significant potion of their lives on land. Sea otters, on the other hand, are longer and more stout, weighing up to 70 lbs and rarely go onto land. In Cannon Beach, American river otters are most commonly seen in the Ecola Creek estuary or near Silver Point. If you see a river otter, give it space. Although they look cute, otters are wild animals and can act defensive if a person approaches.

Habitat: Living in a variety of aquatic environments, the American river otter can be found across the US and Canada. They hunt in water ways like rivers, ponds, lakes, and the ocean, and sleep on land in dens.

Diet: American river otters have a varied diet due to the diversity of environments that they can live. They hunt for fish, aquatic invertebrates, frogs, turtles, bird eggs, small mammals, and aquatic vegetation.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• American river otters can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes.

• The life span of an American river otter is typically around 10 years but they have been known to live as long as 21 years.

• They are fast runners, reaching speeds of 15 miles per hour.

References: National Wildlife Federation