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Wildlife Sightings Blog
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Whale and
Dolphin watching on the Isle of Mull
European Otter
Otters are semi-aquatic
fish-eating mammals in the same family as Badgers, polecats and
weasels.
They have a long, furry body and tail, with short limbs, and are
well camouflaged against the seaweed, their main resting place
when out of the water. Around the rest of the UK otters are
usually only found by their trails as they are nocturnal, however
on Mull they are more dependent on the state of the tide rather
than the time of day. An incoming tide on a rocky shore and a bit
of patience give you the best chance to see Otters on Mull. When
seen in the water they can easily be distinguished from seals by
their long furry tail which they will show when diving and their
pointier face as opposed to the seals more rounded one.
.jpg) Whilst
more commonly found in rivers, European Otters can live along the
coast as they do on Mull, because of this they are commonly
mistaken for Sea Otters. The 'proper' Sea Otters however, are
restricted to North America and are almost wholly marine, whilst
the coastal otters in the UK need to live close to a supply of
freshwater to clean their coats.
Otters feed on a range of fish species and crustaceans, with
Butterfish being a particular favourite around Mull. Otters have a
high metabolic rate to keep warm and therefore have to consume a
large amount of food, Eurasian Otters need to consume about 15% of
their body weight per day and spend between 3 and 5 hours a day
feeding.
Otters have territories that range from 1 to 25 miles, and the
size of the territory is governed by the food density within an
area. Despite being mainly solitary and being protective of their
territories they usually only guard their area from invasion by
other Otters of the same sex, therefore it is possible to have
male and females sharing an area.
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