North American River Otter

(Lontra canadensis)

There are six North American river otters at Seneca Park Zoo—three females and three males. Ashkii, a female born in 2016, joined us from the National Zoo in March 2020. Sailor, one of our males, was born in 2007 and arrived from a private facility in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in May 2012. Another male, Gary, born in February 2022, became part of our zoo family in 2023.

Most recently, on January 19, 2025, Ashkii and Gary welcomed three otter pups—two females and one male.

Animal Facts

River otters can travel underwater a quarter of a mile and stay submerged for about eight minutes at a time.

Not only water creatures, river otters travel across land. They run and slide along the belly up to 18 miles per hour.

The otter’s thick coat is made of guard hair and an undercoat. The undercoat next to the skin stays dry, insulating the otter from the cold water in its environment.

River otters do not compete with humans for game fish.

River otters are crepuscular, meaning they are more active at dawn and at dusk than other times of day.

Diet

River otters are carnivorous creatures. They eat fish, crayfish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, clams, snails, turtles, birds, rodents and insects.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

North American river otters reside throughout the U.S. and Canada along rivers, near streams and lakes bordered by woods with wetlands.

North American river otters have been trapped for their highly-prized furs, resulting in a steep decrease in population since the 1800s. However, the otter is being restored to places where it is regionally threatened, resulting in an otter come back in many places. Seneca Park Zoo is part of an initiative to reintroduce the river otter back to Western New York. Releases have taken place in Honeoye Lake and the Genesee River, among other locations. Laws protecting the otter from over-hunting and habitat destruction have been important U.S. conservation measures.