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Photo: G. Bradley
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UK
Safari Tip:
Discover more about otters and other land mammals with the illustrated
identification chart in the Nature Shop - click
here
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Latin name: Lutra lutra
Size: Males approximately 115cms from nose to tip of tail. Females approximately 100cms.
Distribution: Otters can be seen along the west coast of Wales, parts of the Lake District, Devon, Cornwall, and around many of the islands off Scotland such as Shetland, Orkney and the Isle of
Skye. They are absent from most of central England and a central belt of Scotland.
Months seen: All year round.
Habitat: Rivers, streams, lakes, marshes and coastal areas.
Food: All kinds of fish and crabs.
Special features: Otters are well equipped for swimming rapidly through water. They have a long body, a powerful tail and webbed feet.
Otters hunt for their prey underwater. They have large lungs, and just before they dive they take one deep breath. This can allow them to stay underwater for more than three minutes.
In the UK, otters can breed all year round. They produce between one and five young (usually 2 or 3) which are born blind and without teeth. They stay with their mother for up to one year while she teaches them how to swim and catch fish.
 Adult otters have no natural predators, although in the past they were heavily persecuted by gamekeepers.
Loss of habitat, pollution, hunting and other human activities all contributed to the decline of our native otters. During the late 1950’s, following the introduction of new and stronger pesticides, our native otter population went into rapid decline. It's only recently that the otter population in Britain has started to recover through protective legislation and conservation
programmes.
Photo of Wild Otter Footprints
UK Safari Mammal Section
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