Their tails are roughly 1/3 the length of their head and body. Otters tend to live by the riverside, and along banks as their preferable surroundings. Not waiting for California to get on board otters are already drawn to our beaver ponds where they are sometimes unwelcome and mostly ignored. An adult North American river otter … One third of their winter diet is comprised of crayfish. Do beavers and platypuses get along? Perhaps otters, along with two year old beavers, are booted out of the lodge come birthing time! This gives me a chance to answer Ken’s questions in comments from yesterday about beavers and river otters. Beaver ponds are great places for “watchable wildlife”. Unlike the beaver that prefers to build across a smaller body of water, the otter can live at … Neighbors in every way but neighborly, beaver and otters couldn’t be much more different. So it is obvious, when they are in the same pond, a beaver doesn't want to get in the way of an otter. February 22, 2013 at 5:45 pm Can you tell the difference and identify the following three animals? The river otter is smaller than the sea otter, weighing from 10 to 30 pounds and measuring three to four feet in length from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. No one told the beavers all that. The government has now extended the River Otter Beaver Trial by six months while decisions are made about their long-term presence in East Devon - and potentially elsewhere in the country. They're all brown, furry and they swim well so the confusion isn't too surprising. While beaver remnants have been found in otters a few times, the vast majority of studies show no sign of beaver ingestion by otters. It is no secret that otters have a fondness for utilizing abandoned beaver dens as dens of their own. Beavers, Muskrats, and Otters are aquatic mammals whose ranges cover most or all of South Carolina, so there is potential for almost any pond in the state to harbor these fur-bearing animals. This provides them access to good hunting grounds, while giving them easy entrance to their domiciles. Ken’s Comment: After reading this posting I was thinking about the young turkey vulture that went missing. Otters have some of the densest fur in the animal kingdom, which is what they take advantage of … Otters are thrill seeking opportunistic fish eaters that troll vast territories for their daily meal. But the beavers now need your support one last time. The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent found in and along its waterways and coasts. In the middle of March, the ice on a large beaver pond had retreated from the beavers' dam and the lodge the beavers were using right next to the dam. Studies on otters preying on beavers are varied, Kathie. Muskrat vs. Beaver happens a lot. River otters sometimes get thrown in the mix, depending on what people hope they're seeing. Not only are the beavers fascinating to observe as they forage, groom and build, but their ponds are magnets for other wild creatures. Try taking a walk to a beaver pond an hour or two before sunset, to relax and enjoy the variety of birds and wild animals. Although interesting to watch, these animals can be problematic when they move into stormwater ponds. Its tail is longer than its cousin's, approximately two-thirds the length of its head and body. England’s first - and only - wild beaver re-introduction project has been running for five years. Although interesting to watch, these animals can be problematic when they move into stormwater ponds. As an avid canoe-er, I am used to finding river otter along the Albion, Navarro or Russian rivers, but I never understood how urban their population could be until I started watching beavers. During winter, river otters will take advantage of openings in ice and even break through beaver dams to get to water sources. We need you to answer this question! A wise otter trapper can take advantage of this knowledge in a way that exploits this habit to their benefit. Beavers are rodents, and they have the typical rounded body of rodents, along with a blunt face and well-developed front teeth for gnawing. Otters vs Beavers On the surface, at first glance, there may not seem like much of a difference between otters and beavers. Beavers are family oriented herbivores that stay in one place and sculpt the same landscape over and over again until it matches their needs. Otters and minks often fish in beaver ponds (beavers do not eat fish). Once beavers move on from an area, it is usually not long before otters lay claim to their dwellings. If you answered Muskrat, Beaver, Otter, you are correct. Yet they are vastly different animals, and even come from different orders. It’s amusing to see an otter stare at you with that periscope-like neck above the water or to watch a mink repeatedly shake the water from its fur each time it climbs on a beaver cache of branches—only to dive right back in again. Like otters, beavers also have a tail adapted for swimming -- in their case for steering -- but it is broader and flatter. Beavers, Muskrats, and Otters are aquatic mammals whose ranges cover most or all of South Carolina, so there is potential for almost any pond in the state to harbor these fur-bearing animals. Sea otters average 50 to 90 pounds and reach lengths of up to five feet.