The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), a member of the weasel family, is about 3-4 feet long including their tails. They have a streamlined body, short legs with fully webbed feet, a muscular tail, and dense, short, glossy fur — all of which aid them in being excellent swimmers. They also have close-able nostrils and ears for swimming and foraging underwater.
Historically, river otter could be found throughout New York, but they declined due to unregulated hunting, habitat destruction, and water pollution.
In the early 1990s, the river otter was only found in the eastern half of New York State. [Read more…] about The Return of River Otters to Western New York
Castor canadensis is North America’s largest rodent and the second largest in the world — which was driven to near extinction in the Adirondacks around the turn of the last century, but whose reintroduction was astoundingly successful.
