Otters again plentiful in state

Wildlife comeback stories often focus on the amazing return of whitetailed deer, the black bear in Arkansas and other game species. One of Arkansas’ most charismatic critters also rebounded as a result of proper game management and habitat conservation.

The river otter now enjoys a healthy population, which benefits not only trappers, but people who enjoy watching wildlife from a canoe, kayak or other watercraft.

Highly prized for their luxurious furs, otters were regularly targeted by trappers and hunters looking to make a living during the early days of settlement. Conversion of many wetland areas to farms also dried up many of the intermittent streams that provided temporary wetland habitat for otters.

Decline of the river otter was so widespread throughout the nation that 22 states initiated some sort of relocation program to reintroduce these semiaquatic mammals into their historic range. Arkansas otters fared better than most states, but by 1951, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Biologist Trusten Holder estimated Arkansas’ remaining population of river otters teetered somewhere between 700 and 800 animals, mostly in the Delta region of the state.

Regu lated trapping and sales of furs, declines in fur markets and best management practices protecting water quality and streams have combined to see a rebound in otter numbers throughout Arkansas. Now paddlers and boaters who enjoy small streams and rivers have decent chances of glimpsing these social members of the ferret, weasel and mink family.

Adult river otters range from 10 to 30 pounds, and stretch from 2.5 to 5 feet long with most hovering around the size of a yardstick from nose to tail. Kirsten Bartlow, watchable wildlife program coordinator for Game and Fish, said their streamlined bodies are made for life in the water.

“They’re really neat animals,” Bartlow said. “Their ears and nose automatically close when they go underwater. Their dense fur sheds water because of oils the otter produces. Heavy layers of body fat keep them insulated when the water is cold.”

In the water, otters are true predators. They are able to chase down fish, frogs and crayfish fairly easily, thanks to webbed feet and powerful swimming muscles. They also eat mussels, turtles and aquatic insects they find on their dives. They can remain submerged up to 4 minutes at a time, and they have prominent facial whiskers, which are extremely sensitive and are used to find food.

On land otters are much less graceful and have an almost comical gate.

“They always remind me of a Slinky on the move,” Bartlow said. “And if it’s snowy or icy, they’ll alternate that loping run with sliding on their bellies.”