European Otter - Lutra lutra

by Lesley Evered

Title

European Otter - Lutra lutra

Artist

Lesley Evered

Medium

Photograph - Camera: Pentax K30

Description

A European Otter found at an Otter Sanctuary in Devon, England UK. This sactuary takes in injured otters and returns them to full health. This one is eagerly awaiting dinner.....

This picture was placed shared 5th in the "Animals In The UK And Islands" contest in the group Best Of British, 10th June 2022....

This picture has been featured in the following 12 groups:
Animal Photographs, 22nd May 2020.....
Macro Marvels, 22nd May 2020.....
Images That Excite You, 23rd May 2020.....
Just Perfect, 23rd May 2020.....
Positive Energy, 23rd May 2020.....
FAA Portraits, 24th May 2020.....
Four Legged Friends, 24th May 2020.....
Your Very Best Photography, 27th June 2020.....
10 Plus, 28th June 2020.....
Best Of British, 27th May 2022...
Vertical Images, 31st May 2022...
The Art Workshop, 18th July 2022....
Hodge Podge, 26th July 2022...


The European otter, or lutra lutra (scientific name), is a carniverous mammal of the Mustelidae family (mustelid). There are seven species of mustelid living in the wild in the UK, each varying widely in looks and behaviour. Generally speaking mustelids are long-bodied, short-legged, thickly furred and tend to be active at night, which makes them elusive.
Otters are adapted to life on both land and in water. They have webbed feet for swimming, dense fur for warmth, and can close their ears and nose underwater. The otter is a fish hunter, though it happily eats waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans too. At 8kg, it is the second-largest mustelid and is becoming increasingly common in British rivers and lakes as its numbers rebound after centuries of persecution.
Otters seek clean rivers, filled with food and overgrown banks where they can raise their cubs. Their favourite habitats include wetlands, rivers and coastlines. Though still considered rare, the species is widespread in the UK and can be seen in almost every county especiall in Scotland, the west coast of Wales, East Anglia and South-West Endland..............

Twenty-five years ago, The English otter population was on the brink of extinction after half a century of agricultural chemicals leaching into the rivers and polluting the food chain. Thankfully, following the ban of these chemicals in the early 1990s, water quality increased and the slow-road to recovery began and fish populations returned to the rivers and lakes.
The revival of the otter across Britain has been one of the great conservation successes of the past fifty years. Having been threatened with extinction in the late 1950’s, numbers have slowly recovered, and following a ban on hunting in 1978 and improvements to river quality, otters can now be found in every British county.
(https://www.countryfile.com/)...........

Please note that the watermark will not show on any products.

Uploaded

May 22nd, 2020

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags