Search Wildlife
≡
Photo by Larry Dalton and Laura Romin
Photo Copyright Larry Dalton and Laura Romin
Northern river otter
Lontra canadensis
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G5
State (S-rank): S3S4
External links
Species range
Durrant (1952) mapped this species as occurring in northern Utah in the Raft River Mountains, the Wasatch Mountains, and the Uinta Mountains; he examined two specimens--one from Box Elder County and another from Wasatch County. He said also: "I have reports that otters occur in the Uinta Mountains, and on October 23, 1949, at the Ute Indian Reservation, at Ouray, Uintah County, I saw an Indian who had strips of otter fur braided into his hair. He reported capturing the animal along the Green River, north of Ouray, during the winter of 1948."
Gregory (1938) reported observing otters along the Colorado River in Glen Canyon, San Juan County, which, seemingly, is the record that Hall (1981) mapped in southern Utah without citation.
Bich (1988) sent questionnaires to trappers and Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) personnel, compiled sighting records from UDWR files, and conducted searches for otters and their sign along several rivers in northern Utah; these sources resulted in 58 records of otters between 1978 and 1988 along 18 rivers and creeks in 7 river drainages throughout the state.
Boschen (1989) located two pairs of otters along the Colorado River in Grand County and had two reports of tracks in Canyonlands National Park, two reports of sightings (4 and 3 individuals) along the Colorado River in Grand County, and a report of sign (scat) along the Colorado River in Grand County.
Occurrrences are known inBox Elder, Cache, Rich, Morgan, Summit, Daggett, Uintah, Duchesne, Salt Lake, Wasatch, Utah, Carbon, Grand, San Juan, Wayne, Garfield, and Kane counties.
Habitat
Although descriptions of the habitats utilized by this species in Utah are lacking, the 1978-1988 reports of the species in at least 18 rivers and streams in much of the state (northern, central, and eastern Utah) (Bich 1988) suggest that a variety of riverine or riparian habitats, from montane forests to desert canyons, are used by this species in Utah.
Threats or limiting factors
The threat that led to the historical decline of this species in Utah probably was trapping both for this species and for beavers, since capture of otters incidental to beaver trapping has been significant in the decline of this species elsewhere. Current threats probably include trapping, stream alterations, and dewatering (e.g., diversion, irrigation for agriculture).
