Otters in Cornwall

Otter diary | Otter recording form

There is only one kind of otter found in Cornwall and the British Isles the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). It may also be known as the European otter, river otter or common otter. Its nicknames include king otter, river dog, ote and tike.

Otters are carnivores (meat-eaters) and belong to the family Mustelidae (possessing musk glands). The family includes badgers, ferrets, martens, mink, polecats, stoats and weasels. Mustelids typically have long, thin bodies and short legs. Males are generally larger than the females.

The otter is a semi-aquatic mammal, which means it spends much of its time in the water. It is well adapted for swimming with a long, powerful, sinuous body and a long, tapering tail used for propulsion. Its feet are quite large and are webbed for extra power. Its eyes are placed high on the head so that it can see when the rest of the body is below water. The nostrils and ears have valves, which can be closed when submerged. Keeping warm is essential and the otter has a magnificent fur coat, composed of two types of hair. Long guard hairs to repel the water and an under-fur of fine, dense hairs to retain body heat. Long, sensitive whiskers (vibrissae) are used to detect food in dark, murky waters.

Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) photograph by Wendy Jones

Distribution:

The Eurasian otter is the most widely distributed of the otter species, it can be found in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, occurring in a wide range of habitats close to water, including inland freshwater and coastal areas.

Otter numbers in England declined dramatically in the late 1950s and 1960s. Pollution and the use of organochlorine pesticide chemicals was the key issue, but habitat loss, hunting and disturbance were believed to impact too. Cornwall (and Devon) has the highest population of otters in England. In recognition of this the River Camel in north Cornwall has been designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) primarily for otters - making our otters of international importance. Otters can be found on all the river catchments in Cornwall. They use the rivers, streams, ditches, leats, canals, wetlands including the reedbeds, moors, wet woodland and still-water bodies including reservoirs, lakes and garden ponds.

Otter signs

In Britain the otter is most frequently confused with its cousin the American mink, which is also a semi-aquatic mammal that uses the same wetland habitats. The otter is generally elusive and difficult to see, whereas the mink is bolder and can be easier to see.

Otter photograph by Kate Stokes

Mink photograph by Dr Alice Helyer

 
                                  
Appearance

Droppings

Mink scat above otter spraint photograph by Kate Stokes

Tracks

Download our otter and mink track guide in pdf format 181kb

 

Resting places

Otter holt in tree roots photograph by Kate Stokes

Mink den in rabbit burrow photograph by Roger Driver

Breeding

Otter cub photograph by Kate Stokes

Otters are strongly territorial and leave spraint to mark their territory. A male or dog otter’s home range can be up to 40 km (25 miles) and will cover two females or bitches of half the distance. The size of their territory will depend on the quality of the habitat and coastal territories may be a lot richer and smaller. Otters live solitary lives most of the time, unless courting or rearing cubs.

Mating can be quite vigorous and take place on land or in water. Otters can breed at any time of the year although most births occur in spring or late autumn. Gestation last approximately 63 days. Litter size varies between 1-5 cubs, but one cub or twins are most common. Cubs stay with their mother for about a year, the dog plays no part in rearing the young. At four weeks old they can open their eyes, within six weeks they might venture outside and at twelve weeks they may go in the water.

Conservation

Otter road traffic accident
photograph by Kate Stokes

The otter and its places of rest are fully protected by law. As carnivores at the top of the food chain, otters are a good flagship species or indicator of a healthy aquatic environment. While otters are recovering they still face a range of threats including potential pollution, habitat destruction, drowning in fishing equipment and particularly road traffic accidents.

Nationally, The Wildlife Trusts and the Environment Agency are jointly leading otter recovery plans under the Government’s UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) – a set of published rescue plans for endangered species and habitats. As part of this initiative, Cornwall has drawn up its own BAP for the otter (visit the Cornwall Biodiversity Initiative web site). This work is being led locally be Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Cornwall Environment Agency through Water for Wildlife (WfW). The aim of WfW is to use flagship species, such as the otter, to protect and enhance our wetlands. This includes identifying and surveying wetlands, conducting species monitoring and providing advice to landowners and managers. It also includes raising awareness of the state of our wetlands and their associated species in general.

Water for Wildlife involves key areas of work

• Collecting otter records from members of the public
• Monitoring otters at some 200 baseline sites around the county (see map above)
• Training and supporting Cornwall Otter Group (COG) to carry out surveys at these sites
• Conducting research such as the DNA survey in the Camel Catchment
• Supporting the Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre collecting otter corpses for autopsy
• Raising awareness by giving talks, holding training days and producing articles and literature
• Advising landowners, managers, fisheries and anglers about otters.

How you can help:

• Report sightings  both of live otters and casualties
• Report habitat destruction and pollution incidents to the Environment Agency on their free hotline number: 0800 807060
• Avoid disturbing wildlife areas
• Join Cornwall Otter Group and become an 'otter spotter'
• Get involved in Bodyline ”and collection of corpses for the Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre
• Support the Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Classification

Other pages on this web site that may be of interest:

• Cornwall Otter Group
• Otter diary
• On-line otter recording form
• Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre
• Mammals in Cornwall
• Cornwall Mammal Group
• Bodyline
• Water for Wildlife

Other web sites that may be of interest:

• Visit the Cornwall Biodiversity Initiative web site for species action Plans.
• Visit the National Biodiversity Network for a selection of datasets identified as important by RDS and DEFRA for assessing agri-environment schemes, collected by the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

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