Pat’s Wildways: Spotting otters

Anyone who has read my column over the last couple of decades surely knows that otters are a part of my long-time history and my ever-present passion. For years I was chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Otter Specialist Group, heading up conservation conferences all over the world, raising orphaned North American river otters and studying otters myself in Southeast Asia. All of this work is in my past, but my interest in otters has not subsided.

I keep my eyes and ears open to reports of otters on Amelia Island, which have been depressingly infrequent for many years now. There was a time when we first moved here that I would regularly see otters visiting the retention pond in our backyard, and I even named one regular group the “Three Musketeers.” During those years otters were frequently reported on the Egans Creek Greenway, with at least one female successfully raising cubs there over a number of years. Sadly, during those early years, a number of otters were also found as roadkill when they tried to pass from one wet area to another. But over our 25 years here, these reports have virtually stopped.

It is not surprising that otters on the island mostly disappeared. They are at the top of the aquatic food chain where toxins in their food sources concentrate, leading to infertility if not unhealthiness. All those retention ponds on the island, like the one in my backyard, are full of the chemicals that flow from our paved and landscaped surroundings. This may help keep these chemicals from getting into our natural water sources, but the fish living in these ponds are unsuitable for humans and other animals to eat. But who tells the otters that? A fish is a fish to them. And besides the contamination of their diets in much of the area, the otters on the island face a loss of habitat to shelter and nurture them, as more homes are built and more brush is cleared. Otters need to move around, sometimes for miles, to find suitable habitats to settle in and unrelated mates to breed with. All of this is daunting for any otters on our island. I had just about given up on seeing otters here any longer.

But recently the situation has changed a bit for the better. Not long ago, I saw a single otter enter our pond and disappear quickly under the foliage on the opposite bank. A couple of days ago our landscaper saw it again and there is a slightly defined “slide” where this singleton enters the water. I keep looking to see it again.

And now things are even more exciting. A group of five otters is regularly being spotted on the south end of the Greenway, but it is luck when you see them. Otters are wary of people and move around a lot at different times of day. Luckily Bill Birdsong, who frequents the Greenway almost daily on his bike or walking with his wife Susie, finally saw them. And lucky for all of us, Bill had his camera to document the encounter. This group is most likely a mother with nearly grown offspring, as there is a size difference among them. The group appears transient, as no young cubs have been reported in recent months. These otters just showed up and may be moving on. At this age, the young will soon be leaving mom in search of their own mates and places to settle. Keep your eyes open; they may be showing up in your area too. 

If you see an otter in our area, I would love to hear about it. Please email me the time, location, number of individuals, and any other notes, and I will keep track of sightings. And I'm not the only one interested. There is now a statewide effort to keep track of the otters in Florida. Please also report your sightings to the Otter Spotter at the Blue World Research Institute, where you can fill out a form to help us all learn more about these elusive creatures.

Just maybe some small set of otters will make Amelia Island their home again. Let’s keep our eyes open and hope for the best. Amelia Island will be a better place if otters can still live here. At least for me.

Pat Foster-Turley, Ph.D., is a zoologist on Amelia Island. She welcomes your nature questions and observations. patandbucko@yahoo.com