Otter 230101 West Pond -36
Standing her ground — er — ice....
North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis), West Pond, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. (Heavy crop.)
S/he was quite vocal. I interpreted his/her gravelly 'woof-woof' to be a question, not a command or ultimatum. My Otterese, however, is not up to snuff; s/he didn't seem to understand a single 'wuff' I uttered, and we eventually both decided just to carry on with our afternoons.... While I didn't see her/him the next day, others did. Haven't seen him/her since, however, but I expect we'll cross streams again before summer....
IMHO (again), based on the Wiki article below,
I'm guessing that Inquisitive Otto is a male....
From Wikipedia:
"The North American river otter has long whiskers that are used to detect prey in dark waters. An average adult male weighs about 11.3 kilograms (25 lb) against the female's average of 8.3 kilograms (18 lb). Its body length ranges from 66 to 107 centimetres (26 to 42 in). About one-third of the animal's total length consists of a long, tapered tail. Tail lengths range from 30 to 50 centimetres (12 to 20 in). Large male North American river otters can exceed a weight of 15 kilograms (33 lb) It differs from the European otter by its longer neck, narrower visage, the smaller space between the ears and its shorter tail.
Its whiskers (vibrissae) are long and thick, enhancing their senses.
Males and female river otters show different non-sexual physical characteristics, with males typically being larger.
North American river otters can live 21–25 years in captivity, or 8–13 years in the wild."
Otter 230101 West Pond -36
Standing her ground — er — ice....
North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis), West Pond, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. (Heavy crop.)
S/he was quite vocal. I interpreted his/her gravelly 'woof-woof' to be a question, not a command or ultimatum. My Otterese, however, is not up to snuff; s/he didn't seem to understand a single 'wuff' I uttered, and we eventually both decided just to carry on with our afternoons.... While I didn't see her/him the next day, others did. Haven't seen him/her since, however, but I expect we'll cross streams again before summer....
IMHO (again), based on the Wiki article below,
I'm guessing that Inquisitive Otto is a male....
From Wikipedia:
"The North American river otter has long whiskers that are used to detect prey in dark waters. An average adult male weighs about 11.3 kilograms (25 lb) against the female's average of 8.3 kilograms (18 lb). Its body length ranges from 66 to 107 centimetres (26 to 42 in). About one-third of the animal's total length consists of a long, tapered tail. Tail lengths range from 30 to 50 centimetres (12 to 20 in). Large male North American river otters can exceed a weight of 15 kilograms (33 lb) It differs from the European otter by its longer neck, narrower visage, the smaller space between the ears and its shorter tail.
Its whiskers (vibrissae) are long and thick, enhancing their senses.
Males and female river otters show different non-sexual physical characteristics, with males typically being larger.
North American river otters can live 21–25 years in captivity, or 8–13 years in the wild."