Common otter  (Lutra lutra)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Biology

Common otters feed mainly on fish, and the occasional water bird or frog may be taken (2). Up to 15 % of an individual's body weight in fish may be consumed daily (3). Common otters mark their large territories by depositing faeces ('spraints') in various prominent places (2).

Breeding can occur throughout the year; two or three cubs are usually born in a den known as a holt, and 10 weeks later the cubs emerge above ground with their mother (2). Common otter mothers care for their offspring for about a year; it may take the cubs up to 18 months to learn to fish, and the mother helps this learning process by releasing live fish for the cubs to re-catch (3).

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