The otter’s stronghold during its demise in England and Wales from the 1950’s to the 1970’s was always the sea lochs in the highlands and islands
We were heading off the island today towards Ellenabeich and Easdale when just passing the front at Cullipool I spotted an otter fishing in the bay. Carefully parking up and stealthily moving to a good vantage point each time the otter dived, I ended up with a prime view of this elusive mammal, which frequents the coasts around much of north west Scotland. It’s unusual to get so close and to clearly be seen by an otter as we faced each other for a few seconds.
It is estimated that there are about 8,000 otters present in ScotlandCoastal otters are exactly the same species as those found in rivers, but they are mainly active during daylight hours, whereas the otters living in freshwater habitats are mainly nocturnalCoastal otters have a diet of fish and crustaceansAlthough otters are capable of staying under water for a good few minutes they normally dive for around 30 to 45 seconds, by which time they can have travelled some distance
To clean and rinse their fur from the salt in sea water otters must find freshwaterEye sight is not the most developed sense in the otter, it relies far more on hearing and smell
Otters now inhabit every county in the UK, but the quality of water to sustain the population must be kept high and this is of real concern for it’s future, as evidenced by the recent reports on the health of our rivers and coastal waters!
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