Otters are long, slender, short-haired furbearers known to be playful and intelligent. The fur is a rich, glossy, shade of brown and lighter on the cheeks, throat, and belly. Males grow to 48 inches and 25 pounds while females are 4 to 6 inches shorter and 19 pounds or less. Both sexes have anal musk glands that release when the animal is frightened. The musk is less pungent than other mustelids. Otters have webbed toes and non-retractable claws. They also have valves in their nose and ears that close when they are underwater.
Otters range over Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes States, the Mississippi River Valley, to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal states. They inhabit remote rivers, lakes, wetlands, and beaver ponds eating fish, frogs, crayfish, mollusks, beaver, muskrats, and vegetation. Adult otters are rarely killed by other animals with some predation by lynx, wolves, bobcats, and coyotes. The home range varies from 450 to 14,000 acres or 5 to 50 linear miles of shoreline. Otters infrequently use dens but may occupy old beaver dens and lodges. Otters mate at 2 years of age. Breeding occurs in March and April resulting in one litter a year of 2 to 3 young.
