More info: The north American river otter is found throughout most of the United States and Canada, except in areas of arid deserts and the treeless Arctic. They live where there is easy access to water in marshes, lakes, ponds, streams and estuaries.
The range of a river otter can be up to 40 miles of waterway, depending on the food available and the quality of the habitat. Their diet consists of fish, molluscs, frogs, crayfish, turtles, insects and sometimes birds or small mammals. River otters are very active hunters and have to eat throughout the day in order to sustain their very high metabolism.
River otter breeding takes place once a year around late winter and spring, and females will then give birth the following year. River otters are one of the mammals that are able to delay egg implantation- the actual gestation takes 60 to 63 days. Females can have anywhere from 1 to 6 pups at a time, but generally 2 to 3 is normal.
In captivity, North American river otters can live into their 20s. In the wild, their average life span is 8 or 9 years.
Additional Information:
Animal Diversity Web