North American River Otter
Exhibit opens January 12, 2012. Aquarium members will be admitted into
the aquarium for an exclusive sneak peek 1 hour early at 9am January 12.
Membership card must be present for early entry.
Size:Up to 4 ft, up to 30 lbs
Family: Members of the weasel family, which also includes skunks, badgers, mink and wolverines
Habitat: Rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps and estuaries
Diet: Fish, crayfish, frogs
Dens: May have separate entrances above and below water that lead to nest chamber, lined with plant material and hair
Behavior: North American River Otters are very chatty and use a vocabulary of a dozen or more calls. They are very playful and have been seen wrestling, bouncing objects off their hands, playing tag and sliding down snowy or muddy hills.
Did You Know? A North American River otter can dive to a depth of 60 ft, hold its breath up to 8 minutes and swim up to 7 mph.
The river otter exhibit is made possible by: 