The Otter in Ireland
This blog is about the otter population
in Ireland and it's habitat.
The European otter is one of Ireland's
oldest mammals, and lives in Ireland since the last ice-age.
It is adapted to water life very well
and is an excellent swimmer. Therefore it has webbed feat, and a
streamlined body of 80-90 cm length with brown fur.
The European otter belongs to the the family of the weasels (Mustelidae) and the subfamily of the otters (Lurtinae).
The European otter belongs to the the family of the weasels (Mustelidae) and the subfamily of the otters (Lurtinae).
Population
Ireland has always been considered as a
strong-hold for the otter in Europe, but recent surveys have shown a
certain decrease of the population.
Different national surveys showed a
decrease in otter presence from 1980, where otters could be found in
88% of the country, to 2004, where the population had decreased to
70%.
The current population is estimated ad
about 12,000 individuals.
This decrease is explained due to poor
water quality, loss of habitat and roadkill.
Habitat
Otters need clean water sources to
live, usually lakes or rivers, also the are depended to places to
hide. Otters usually maintain their territories and even defend them.
The size of this territories depends of the environment, In lowland
rivers and lakes the territories are small (1-2km), but on smaller
rivers, where less food is to be found, a otter territories can
stretch to 15km.
Food
Otters
usually hunt fish and other water-living animals e.g. eels and
crayfish. They also eat smaller mammals, dead animals and even water
birds. The way an otter eats is very significant, it holds the food
in its front paws while eating.
Breeding
Otters breed in
spring and summer. After 9 weeks of pregnancy the females give birth
to 2-3 cubs in a quiet and secure place. The cubs are fed for 4 weeks
and live their mother after 6 to 12 months.
Otters start
breeding in their 3 year and usually live for 5 years in the
wilderness.
Spotting Otters
Otters are quite
difficult to spot. The are usually active in the dawn and dusk and
are very elusive.
Common signs of an
otter presence are small pathways to the water and collections of
fish remains.
Further
Information can be found on:
and otter.org
All pictures can be found at otter.org
No comments:
Post a Comment