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Show us your Otters


offshorebirder

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offshorebirder

I was thinking of starting a "Show us your Mustelids" thread, but then I saw @@Game Warden's post for Badgers.

But how 'bout Otters? I think I recall that some ST members have some Giant Otter photos from Amazonia and perhaps our California members have some Sea Otter photos?

I will start things off with some semi-backlit shots (taken yesterday) of a River Otter scent marking as it crosses a dike at Donnelley Wildlife Management area in coastal South Carolina. I saw movement and froze, with a tripod + spotting scope held on my left shoulder, and shooting the camera one-handed with my right.

Canon 7D MkI, 300mm f/4 IS lens w/ UV filter handheld, 9:30am. ISO 250, f/7.1, 1/1600 sec

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Edited by offshorebirder
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Nice! @@offshorebirder!

We both the cape clawless and spotted neck otters on the river here, and it is personally speaking an absolute grail goal of mine to get decent pictures. But they are extremely shy and elusive and I understand they have pretty huge territories.

 

Last year I probably had three sightings, all from the boat and none of which I even had the time to think about getting the camera out. I have so far only one picture of one, which would have been half decent if it hadn't been so far - this is cropped massively and was with a kenko teleconverter which to be honest I have found turns my sigma into rubbish.

 

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The year before my parents were out and were sitting on the deck. I wandered out of the office and checked what they were up to. They replied "oh we have just spent the last hour watching an otter catch fish and eat them on that rock". I nearly fell over! Turned out they thought it was a fairly every day sighting and so didn't call me!

 

For me a good picture of one (preferably feeding) would be worth far more than any dogs/lions/leopard picture. I guess only patience and devoting a lot of time to this is the way to go, realistically now is probably the time to try while we are closed. Hmmm......

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Barranco Alto, Southern Pantanal, Neo-tropical and Giant otters July 2010

 

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Giant otters, 3 Brothers River, Northern Pantanal, July 2010

 

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Giant otter, Paraguay River, July 2013

 

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looks like there is yet another reason to get my arse to Barranco Alto

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Some more from the Pantanal..

 

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Neotropic Otter (from a canoe at Barranco Alto)

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Giant Otter at Barranco Alto

And in the north Pantanal


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Giant Otter in roadside pool alongside Transpantanal Highway

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Young Giant Otter (on the river near Porto Jofe)

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Adult greets youngster

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Adult at water's edge

Edited by TonyQ
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Fantastic! @@TonyQ how big are these giant otters ?

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@@KaingU Lodge

Thank you

They grow up to 1.8m long - males up to 34kg and females up to 26kg. They are big animals!

 

Big! Apparently the clawless can be similar sized, the spotted neck is much, much smaller. Fascinating pictures and fascinating animals. Thank you @@TonyQ

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offshorebirder

@@KaingU Lodge - thanks for sharing. Is that a Cape Clawless Otter?

 

@@Treepol - wow! I love your photos with the Otter kits, especially the ones running down the bank. Their skin looks loose and wrinkly. And your shot of the running otters shows their flattened tails nicely.

 

@@TonyQ - superb shots - especially the roadside otter munching a small fish!

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offshorebirder

@@KaingU Lodge - to help you with your Grail Search:

 

I grew up with River Otters in the bush here in South Carolina. As a lad, I learned to stake out their otter slides from a hiding place and I often got long views of families playing.

 

I am not certain, but I assume Cape Clawless and Spotted Neck Otters also like playing on otter slides? If so, you might want to keep track of otter slides you see on the riverbanks and watercourses. Ones with signs of a lot of recent activity might be worth staking out during your camp's downtime.

 

Otter slides look like long furrows in a muddy bank leading down to the water, with sets of otter tracks up at the start of the furrow.

 

Good luck!

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@@offshorebirder many thanks for the tips! Sounds like a plan.

Yes - that one is a cape clawless.

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Not sure if I've posted these before. They are of a couple of orphaned cubs/kits at Karanambu Ranch in Guyana being trained to fend for themselves in the wild. Unfortunately we didn't see any in the wild while we were there. I hope to get out to the Pantanal one day.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
Peter Connan

I have seen otters each time I have visited Marievale bird sanctuary, but nowhere else.

 

Also, from the way people were getting excited, I get the impression I have been lucky...

 

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michael-ibk

From Rio Paraguay (Pantanal), 09/2014:

 

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And at Porto Jofre, same trip:

 

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I´ve seen Otters in the Delta and in India (Corbett NP) as well, but they were too quickly gone or too far away for photos.

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  • 3 weeks later...

At Moss Landing a few weeks ago. I need to get out on a kayak!

 

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Edited by Patty
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Wow, great shots everyone. I really like all the Giant River Otter shots from the Pantanal. I didn't get great shots of any in Ecuador but did get some video that really captures their calls.

 

 

We were lucky enough to have "normal" river otters around our town when we lived in Northern California:

 

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I can't believe I have no Sea Otter Pictures...I just haven't gone to the coast to take pictures of them. I will have to change that next time I am in the area again.

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  • 4 weeks later...

At Point Lobos yesterday

 

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~ @Patty:

 

That's such a lovely photo!

The mother is so effortlessly buoyant.

This one is so nice to see in Safaritalk.

Tom K.

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Not sure if I've posted these before. They are of a couple of orphaned cubs/kits at Karanambu Ranch in Guyana being trained to fend for themselves in the wild. Unfortunately we didn't see any in the wild while we were there. I hope to get out to the Pantanal one day.

 

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~ @IamFisheye:

 

This is a stunningly beautiful photograph!

I'm thrilled to have stumbled upon it in Safaritalk.

Everything about it I admire.

The colors, lighting, focus, composition — superb!

The leaves and plant material on the surface provide scale and visual interest.

Many thanks for sharing such a fine photograph.

Tom K.

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~ @Patty:

 

That's such a lovely photo!

The mother is so effortlessly buoyant.

This one is so nice to see in Safaritalk.

Tom K.

 

 

Thanks, Tom. This mom had rare twins in February, one of which had to be rescued and is being raised at the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://pointlobos.org/blog/anna-patterson/otter-twins

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@@michael-ibk awesome pix! love the first one of the haughty looking otter and then the sleeping one too.

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these are smooth otters, just returned to singapore waters a few years ago. we saw a family of these otters when we were at sungei buloh two years ago. there were also feral dogs that had been trying to hunt them so we really hope this family stayed safe and continue to stay safe. my pictures are not that great, hope you get some idea of what these shy animals are like.

 

 

 

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Thanks, Tom. This mom had rare twins in February, one of which had to be rescued and is being raised at the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://pointlobos.org/blog/anna-patterson/otter-twins

 

 

~ @Patty:

 

Thank you for providing that link.

Otter twins must be quite a sight!

Active and mischievous.

Tom K.

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these are smooth otters, just returned to singapore waters a few years ago. we saw a family of these otters when we were at sungei buloh two years ago. there were also feral dogs that had been trying to hunt them so we really hope this family stayed safe and continue to stay safe. my pictures are not that great, hope you get some idea of what these shy animals are like.

 

 

 

~ @Kitsafari:

 

Your smooth otter images are fascinating!

In my two visits to Sungei Buloh — 2011 and 2013 — I never saw them.

I wasn't looking for them as I didn't realize that they lived there.

That you were able to photograph them is quite an achievement.

Thank you for sharing the otter images.

Tom K.

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