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Mammal River Otter Lutra canadensis ,? ?•?`+??a> ° (Endangered Colorado) . , +? y? •• ?` A :i Ago r A member of the weasel or muste- .° k? 4q•G r, i y+a*• ?'+? lid family, the river otter is generally 30-40 inches in length and may weigh more than 30 pounds. The average weight is 18 pounds for males and 15 i ??f a? 41 pounds for females. Although they appear to be nearly black when wet, which they fre ?,:?,ff quently are, river otters are actually a rich brown on the back that fades ?4 ?• rRe `.*, into a creamy-white on the belly and r ? + „? :! chin. River otters are highly adapted to "''? r` an aquatic life, and they spend much of their time in the water. Their bodies are sleek, their legs are short with ± webbed feet, and their broad, power-, ful tails supply much of their power ' for swimming. Otters feed on a variety of other animals, but they prefer fish and cray- fish. They generally take the most easily captured prey so they tend to eat sluggish forage fish like carp and Photo by Charles G. Summers, Jr. suckers. Considered the most playful members of the weasel family, otters commonly slide along mud or snow banks rather than walk or run. They have been known to play hide and seek with each other. The river otter was once widely distributed in the major waterways of Colorado, but it's believed that the species became extirpated in the state during the 1900s through a combination of incidental kills associated with beaver trapping, water pollution, reduced stream flows, and riparian habitat destruction. The last known occurrence of a river otter in Colorado was in the Yampa River in 1906. Since river otter habitat still exists in the state, the Colorado Division of Wildlife has tried to re-establish a population in the otter's historic range. That process began in the 1970s when otters from other states were brought to Colorado. Surveys and sightings suggest that the species are surviving, although the survival percentage is unknown. The eventual goal is to establish breeding populations that will result in the removal of the river otter from the endangered species list. 12