Common Name
Northern River Otter
Order
Carnivora
Family
Mustelidae
Species Name
Lontra canadensis
Status
Common in the northern part of its range, uncommon to extirpated in southern parts of its range.
States
Alaska
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Maryland
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
North Carolina
North Dakota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Nevada
New York
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Wyoming
Distribution
Alaska and most of the continental US except for much of the southwestern continental US.
Notes
Playful, likes to slide on the snow. Eats fish and other aquatic or amphibious animals. Aquatic mammal; can travel long distances under water. Adapted for land and water.
Illinois
Slide symbol: A -- anatomical specialization. W -- female with young. Was once widely distributed, now it is rarely encountered
Oklahoma
Slide symbol: A - anatomical specialization. W - female with young. Reported very rare or extirpated in 1952. New projects have allowed them to reoccupy areas. Seventeen were released in 1984 & 1985
Texas
Slide symbol: A -- anatomical specialization. W -- female with young. Aquatic (including slightly salty & marsh water), but easily run on land. Playful; make slides on riverbanks.
Vermont
Slide: A-anat.specializ.