World Otter Day

Written By: Aimee Turcotte
Growing up, I always enjoyed taking a trip to my local zoo or exploring a new zoo when traveling. My dad’s favorite zoo animal is an otter, so we would make sure we did not miss saying “hello” to the otters when at a zoo. Otters are very entertaining, playing by chasing each other and then jumping into the water. Occasionally, my family would see an otter grab a toy, holding the toy with its hands while twirling around underwater. I was surprised that the otters could stay underwater for so long, up to six to eight minutes! We could watch the otters play for hours, but knowing our visit had to be short, we looked forward to seeing the otters again on our next trip. 

---

Now that I am a Zoo Educator at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, I have had the chance to know the family of North American River Otters (Lontra canadensis) that live at the zoo. Tahu, the mother, has 4 pups, and is the mayor of the zoo for 2024. She represents the zoo with an adorable smile, sharing information about the zoo such as when there will be early closures. Tahu has done an excellent job caring for her pups, which female otters do by themselves in the wild. Her pups, Flo, Marsh, Mayhem, and River were born on March 23rd, 2023. Two of the names, Flo and River, were voted for by zoo visitors.
​
North American River Otters are mustelids, fur-bearing carnivores that are found in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems throughout the world, except for in Antarctica, Australia, and most of the oceanic islands. These animals are very sociable, living in small groups, unless it is breeding season. A female otter can have 1 to 4 pups, and the pups will stay with her until they are one year old. Tahu’s pups are now more than one year old, but they will continue to live with Tahu until a few of the pups are transferred to other zoos. By going to other zoos, these pups will have the opportunity to breed once they are old enough and have families of their own, supporting the conservation efforts of this species. North American River Otters are classified as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List, and their population trend is stable. By continuing to protect these animals through breeding programs and rescuing otters in need of human care, zoos are providing otters for public education while supporting the demographics of wild populations.

One of my favorite memories with Tahu and her pups was when I saw the Animal Care staff feed them. Since they are carnivores, they were being fed fish. When the otters saw the staff approach with a bucket of fish, they ran up to the rock wall of their outdoor habitat and stood in a horizontal line. Each otter had its own number of fish to eat. They were very patient, waiting for each of their turns. When they received a fish, they consumed the fish whole, their sharp teeth and powerful jaws crunching the fish before swallowing. Afterwords, some of the otters went back to playing or sunbathed on the rocks.

I am excited to see what the future of Tahu and her pups is going to be!