{"id":1983,"date":"2021-06-01T10:02:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T16:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=1983"},"modified":"2021-06-07T08:06:20","modified_gmt":"2021-06-07T14:06:20","slug":"river-otters-swim-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/river-otters-swim-home\/","title":{"rendered":"River Otters Swim Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Although survival is the main focus for many species of wildlife, some animals enjoy being playful, and probably none of them beats out the mischievous spirit of the river otter. Otters can be seen sliding down snowbanks, pestering ducks and anglers, or even lying on their back waving a paw in an energetic hello. This fast and sleek member of the weasel family is fun to watch as it slithers through water, or inchworms across the land. Otters can also catch fish and eat them at lightning speed.<\/p>\n<p>The North American river otter is found across the continent in riparian areas, similar to environments where beavers set up shop. They can inhabit the same space\u2014beavers are herbivores, while otters are carnivores. The beavers may be happily munching on tree branches and plants, while otters benefit from the fish buffet that accumulates in ponds created by beavers. Otters will sometimes take refuge in abandoned beaver lodges and have even been known to occupy portions of a lodge while beavers still live there.<\/p>\n<h2>Staging a Comeback<\/h2>\n<p>River otters have made a comeback in Boulder County over the last few years. Eric Odell, Species Conservation Program Manager with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, says that river otters were extirpated in Colorado in the early 1900s, because of overharvesting, habitat modification, and lack of regulations. The agency began reintroducing otters to Colorado in the mid-1970s, mostly focusing on west slope rivers.<\/p>\n<p>In 2013, river otter sightings began showing up in Boulder County. \u201cWe are not doing active management to reintroduce otters to any additional part of the state\u2014they seem to be expanding on their own,\u201d said Odell. \u201cThe only otters reintroduced to the Platte drainage (which Boulder is part of) were a handful of otters upstream of Denver. The otters here are either descendants from those animals or dispersers from populations reintroduced into the upper Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Sightings in Boulder County<\/h2>\n<p>Some of the sightings locally have been reported on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaturalist.org\/\">iNaturalist.org<\/a>. This website is a storehouse for photos of plants and wildlife across the world. Several photos of river otters in the Brainard Lake area were posted on this site within the last year. Otters have also been spotted at Heil Valley Ranch Open Space, Pella Crossing, and in other areas along the St. Vrain stream corridor.<\/p>\n<p>River otters are often a sign of a healthy waterway since they are highly sensitive to pollution. \u201cOtters may be an indicator of a healthy creek that has fish enough to feed them, space for them to exist, and other otters to breed with,\u201d said Dave Hoerath, a wildlife biologist with Parks &amp; Open Space. They are also top predators, helping to control prey populations, including fish, crayfish, and frogs. An otter\u2019s webbed toes help with swimming, and sharp claws help grasp fish and other food. A third eyelid\u2014or nictitating membrane\u2014protects its eyes underwater like a pair of goggles.<\/p>\n<p>River otters are sometimes confused with mink (commonly seen in many Boulder County riparian areas) but are much larger. Otters are three- to four- and-a-half feet in length, have a very thick, powerful tail, and weigh anywhere from 11 to 30 pounds. To identify them from water-sharing beavers, look at their tails. A flat, wide tail is a sure indication of a beaver, while the otter\u2019s tail is round and thick.<\/p>\n<p>Besides the benefits to the ecosystem provided by river otters and the general excitement of having them back in their former habitat, otters are just fun to watch. Welcome back to Boulder County, Lontra canadensis!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1985\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1985\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-log.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1024\" data-lbwps-height=\"683\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-log-300x200.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1985 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-log.jpg\" alt=\"River otter on log\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-log.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-log-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-log-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1985\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An otter looks up from its nap on a log in Brainard Lake. Photo by Chris Petrizzo from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaturalist.org\/observations\/59706640\">iNaturalist<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1984\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1984\" style=\"width: 1280px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter.jpg\" data-lbwps-width=\"1280\" data-lbwps-height=\"768\" data-lbwps-srcsmall=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-300x180.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1984 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter.jpg\" alt=\"River otter\" width=\"1280\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/river-otter-768x461.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1984\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">River otter. Photo by Leslie S. from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaturalist.org\/observations\/62327905\">iNaturalist<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although survival is the main focus for many species of wildlife, some animals enjoy being playful, and probably none of them beats out the mischievous spirit of the river otter. Otters can be seen sliding down snowbanks, pestering ducks and anglers, or even lying on their back waving a paw in an energetic hello. This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-1983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wildlife","tag-summer-2021"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>River Otters Swim Home - Images<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/river-otters-swim-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"River Otters Swim Home - Images\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Although survival is the main focus for many species of wildlife, some animals enjoy being playful, and probably none of them beats out the mischievous spirit of the river otter. 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Snow! They quickly discovered they could slide on their bellies on snow just like they slid on mud. It was much easier and faster to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nature Detectives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nature Detectives","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-detectives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nature Detectives","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/nd-otters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/nd-otters.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/nd-otters.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/nd-otters.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/nd-otters.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1748,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/field-notes\/wildlife-biologist\/","url_meta":{"origin":1983,"position":1},"title":"A Day in the Life of a Wildlife Biologist","author":"Staff","date":"06\/01\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In the spring of 2018, we were watching the new plantings establish in Webster Pond at Pella Crossing. Everyone was excited to see the developing wetland take shape and fill in. Everyone except the beaver family that had taken up residence there. The beavers had taken to plugging up the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Field Notes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Field Notes","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/field-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Beaver at night","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beaver-cover.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beaver-cover.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beaver-cover.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beaver-cover.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beaver-cover.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/beaver-cover.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1103,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/nature-detectives\/muskrat-swims-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":1983,"position":2},"title":"Muskrat Swims Home","author":"Staff","date":"03\/03\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Perhaps the first thing you notice is a small, v-shaped wave and ripples on top of the water. At the tip of the wave you detect a dark body paddling across the pond, creating those ripples. Beaver? Then you get a glimpse of its tail. You might remember beavers have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Nature Detectives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Nature Detectives","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-detectives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nature Detectives Muskrat","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/nature-detective.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/nature-detective.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/nature-detective.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/nature-detective.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/nature-detective.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3143,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/land-management\/boulder-countys-lifelines-restoring-streams-and-riparian-habitats-for-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":1983,"position":3},"title":"Boulder County\u2019s Lifelines: Restoring Streams and Riparian Habitats for the Future","author":"Summer Alameel","date":"06\/01\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Seven creeks flow across Boulder County, shaping the landscape and sustaining life along the way. Rock Creek, the only stream to originate on the plains, marks the southern boundary of the county, while Little Thompson Creek marks the northern county line at the Ron Stewart Preserve at Rabbit Mountain. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Land Management&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Land Management","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/land-management\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Restored section of St. Vrain Creek five years after construction, with clear, gently flowing water bordered by dense green vegetation and stabilized banks reinforced with large wood. 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While riding through Nevada, I saw a huge mine that had stripped half a mountain. 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