River otters

I learned a lot about river otters during my last trip. This juvie was so sweet and curious…kept coming over to look at me…never huffed or barked at me. Quite a contrast from the river otters I’d observed the night before!

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The previous evening at dusk I saw a raccoon get too close to an otter den. Three adult otters responded immediately and…well. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for the raccoon.

No photos of the fight because it was dark and everything was just splashing, thrashing, and motion blur. It was a little shocking to observe because raccoons are pretty fierce and are usually able to hold their own. But one terrestrial animal against three semi-aquatic animals in the water…it wasn’t even close. It was a little disturbing to me that the otters didn’t eat the raccoon…just let it sink to the bottom of the canal. But then I remembered the turtles, crayfish, and alligators that will happily scavenge, so it’s all still part of the cycle.

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It can be brutal out there, but this is the way it goes. Raccoon took a risk, and this time it just didn’t pay off!