|
|
Print Page
|
|
River Otter Reintroduction/Augmentation
|
 | | |
| On February 2, 2005 the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (Monument), in partnership with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), initiated a program of reintroducing northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) into the Escalante River system located in the northeastern portion of the Monument. On that day two river otters, both females, were released into the Escalante River near its confluence with Calf Creek and a few days later a male otter was released in the same location. These releases are the result of seven years of planning between the two agencies. Reintroduction of river otter is part of a larger program of achieving the reestablishment of several wildlife species to their historic ranges within the Monument.
The Escalante River is a tributary to the Colorado River. The evidence of river otter in this river system can be traced back thousands of years through fossil records. There are a number of historical accounts from the late 1800s of river otter being observed in the upper Colorado River. The twentieth century saw river otters greatly decline or disappear from their historic ranges in the Colorado River system due to such factors as dams, water diversions, decreases in water quality, declines in riparian conditions, and trapping. The transplanting of river otters back into their original territories was begun in Utah in the 1980s and continues today with these recent releases into the Escalante River.
The northern river otter is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae). An adult otter will average over 20 pounds and reach lengths of approximately 4 feet. They have long cylindrical bodies with powerful legs, webbed feet, and a rounded muscular tail. They are extremely agile swimmers and rely on their long sensory vibrissae (whiskers) to help them locate prey. Their food consists mainly of fish and invertebrates. Females normally give birth every other year and typically have two to six kits or pups at a time. | | |    |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
