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Otter
A
Otters have long, thin bodies and short legs – ideal for pushing through
dense undergrowth or hunting in tunnels. An adult male may be up to 4
feet long and 30lbs. Females are smaller typically. The Eurasian otter’s
nose is about the smallest among the otter species and has a
characteristic shape described as a shallow ‘W’. An otter’s tail (or
rudder, or stern) is stout at the base and tapers towards the tip where it
flattens. This forms part of the propulsion unit when swimming fast
underwater. Otter fur consists of two types of hair: stout guard hairs
which form a waterproof outer covering, and under-fur which is dense
and fine, equivalent to an otter’s thermal underwear. The fur must be
kept in good condition by grooming. Seawater reduces the
waterproofing and insulating qualities of otter fur when saltwater in the
fur. This is why freshwater pools are important to otters living on the
coast. After swimming, they wash the salts off in pools and the squirm
on the ground to rub dry against vegetation.
B
The scent is used for hunting on land, for communication and for
detecting danger. Otterine sense of smell is likely to be similar in
sensitivity to dogs. Otters have small eyes and are probably short-
sighted on land. But they do have the ability to modify the shape of the
lens in the eye to make it more spherical, and hence overcome the
refraction of water. In clear water and good light, otters can hunt fish by
sight. The otter’s eyes and nostrils are placed high on its head so that it
can see and breathe even when the rest of the body is submerged.
Underwater, the cotter holds its legs against the body, except for
steering, and the hind end of the body is flexed in a series of vertical
undulations. River otters have webbing which extends for much of the
length of each digit, though not to the very end. Giant otters and sea
otters have even more prominent webs, while the Asian short-clawed
otter has no webbing – they hunt for shrimps in ditches and paddy fields
so they don’t need the swimming speed. Otter’s ears are tiny for
streamlining, but they still have very sensitive hearing and are protected
by valves which close them against water pressure.
C
A number of constraints and preferences limit suitable habitats of otters.
Water is a must and the rivers must be large enough to support a healthy
population of fish. Being such shy and wary creatures, they will prefer
territories where man’s activities do not impinge greatly. Of course,
there must also be no other otter already in residence – this has only
become significant again recently as populations start to recover. Coastal
otters have a much more abundant food supply and range for males and
females may be just a few kilometres of coastline. Because male range
overlaps with two or three females – not bad! Otters will eat anything
that they can get hold of – there are records of sparrows and snakes and
slugs being gobbled. Apart from fish, the most common prey are
crayfish, crabs and water birds. Small mammals are occasionally taken,
most commonly rabbits but sometimes even moles.
D
Eurasian otters will breed any time where food is readily available. In
places where the condition is more severe, Sweden for example where
the lakes are frozen for much of winter, cubs are born in spring. This
ensures that they are well grown before severe weather returns. In the
Shetlands, cubs are born in summer when fish is more abundant. Though
otters can breed every year, some do not. Again, this depends on food
availability. Other factors such as food range and quality of the female
may have an effect. Gestation for Eurasian otter is 63 days, with the
exception of Lutra canadensis whose embryos may undergo delayed
implantation. Otters normally give birth in more secure dens to avoid
disturbances. Nests are lined with bedding to keep the cub’s warm
mummy is away feeding.
E
Otters normally give birth in more secure dens to avoid disturbances.
Nests are lined with bedding (reeds, waterside plants, grass) to keep the
cub’s warm while is away feeding. Litter Size varies between 1 and 5.
For some unknown reason, coastal otters tend to produce smaller litters.
At five weeks they open their eyes – a tiny cub of 700g. At seven weeks
they’re weaned onto solid food. At ten weeks they leave the nest,
blinking into daylight for the first time. After three months they finally
meet the water and learn to swim. After eight months they are hunting,
though the mother still provides a lot of food herself. Finally, after nine
months she can chase them all away with a clear conscience, and relax –
until the next fella shows up.
F
The plight of the British otter was recognised in the early 60s, but it
wasn’t until the late 70s that the chief cause was
discovered. Pesticides, such as dieldrin and aldrin, were first used
in1955 in agriculture and other industries – these chemicals are very
persistent and had already been recognised as the cause of huge declines
in the population of peregrine falcons, sparrow hawks and other
predators. The pesticides entered the river systems and the food chain –
micro-organisms, fish and finally otters, with every step increasing the
concentration of the chemicals. From 1962 the chemicals were phased
out, but while some species recovered quickly, otter numbers did not –
and continued to fall into the 80s. This was probably due mainly to
habitat destruction and road deaths. Acting on populations fragmented
by the sudden decimation in the 50s and 60s, the loss of just a handful of
otters in one area can make an entire population unviable and spell the
end.
G
Otter numbers are recovering all around Britain – populations are
growing again in the few areas where they had remained and have
expanded from those areas into the rest of the country. This is almost
entirely due to legislation, conservation efforts, slowing down and
reversing the destruction of suitable otter habitat and reintroductions
from captive breeding programs. Releasing captive-bred otters is seen by
many as a last resort. The argument runs that where there is no suitable
habitat for them they will not survive after release and where there is
suitable habitat, natural populations should be able to expand into the
area. However, reintroducing animals into a fragmented and fragile
population may add just enough impetus for it to stabilise and expand,
rather than die out. This is what the Otter Trust accomplished in
Norfolk, where the otter population may have been as low as twenty
animals at the beginning of the 1980s. The Otter Trust has now finished
its captive breeding program entirely, great news because it means it is
no longer needed.

Questions 1-9
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-G, in boxes 1-9 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1 A description of how otters regulate vision underwater
2 The fit-for-purpose characteristics of otter’s body shape
3 A reference to an underdeveloped sense
4 An explanation of why agriculture failed in otter conservation efforts
5 A description of some of the otter’s social characteristics
6 A description of how baby otters grow
7 The conflicting opinions on how to preserve
8 A reference to the legislative act
9 An explanation of how otters compensate for heat loss
Questions 10-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER from the passage for each answer
10 What affects the outer fur of otters?
11 What skill is not necessary for Asian short-clawed otters?
12 Which type of otters has the shortest range?
13 Which type of animals do otters hunt occasionally?
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