Many Upper Saranac Lakers have seen the otters at The Wild Center, but how many of us have seen an otter in the wild?
This otter, with a fish in its mouth and feeding two pups, was spotted last week on Upper Saranac Lake. The North American River Otter is an inquisitive creature that grows three to four feet long and weighs 10-30 pounds.
Otters feed primarily on fish and freshwater mussels. The young are born in the spring and remain with the female for up to a year. They don’t hibernate and are active year-round. Otters den along the shore with underwater entrances.
You can help native wild otters by providing a lakefront vegetative buffer along your shoreline. Shorefront with native plants helps maintain the ecological functions of the lake shore and provides habitat for Adirondack wildlife.
