In the North American River Otter exhibit there are three
otters. If you remember we had otter babies. Well, we now have the
mother "Stache" and her son "Jasper Jr." as well as a new friend
"Scooter," who came from another zoo.
As you watch the otters, there are two that always swim together and one that swims separate. Scooter and Jasper swim together, and Stache is normally on her own.
Another easy way to identify the otters is by looking close when they come to see you at the window. Stache was named for her white milk mustache. If you look close, it covers her entire upper lip. Scooter has a small white mark on his upper lip. It is not a full mustache. Jasper Jr. is currently the smallest of the three, and he has no specific identifiers.
This trio of otters is very active. They swim and roll in the dirt and are normally very fun to watch. Although as the weather warms up, they may hide from the sun and heat in a few different locations in the yard. There is an outdoor den in the middle of the yard that they have access to.
There is also a hole in the floating log in the pool that they like to hide in, sometimes only sticking their nose out. The last spot is under the big fallen tree in the yard. At the base of this tree there is a nice hiding spot that they enjoy to curl up in and enjoy the shade and cooler temperature.
Our otters are fed twice a day. They get a different combination of their diet. Otters are carnivores or meat eaters with a large portion of their diet being fish. Sometimes they get live fish or crayfish for enrichment. This is to give them the opportunity to hunt for their food which they are very good at doing.
Next time you stop at the otter exhibit, try and see if you can tell who is who among the fast swimming blurs that streak past the window.
Written by Bethany Gates, Zookeeper
