Lontra canadensis

Biological Overview

Habitat
Found throughout North America and Canada by bodies of water.

Diet
Diet consists of mostly fish, crabs, mollusks, turtles, waterfowl, and birds.

Role in Ecosystem
Consumers that control the population of what they eat.

Behavior
Communicates with different sounds and gestures.

Human Impact

Humans impact river otters with habitat loss, water pollution, and climate change. A lot of humans also trap and kill river otters. Sometimes when humans are on boats, they can accidentally cause death to the otters. Also through environmental changes, direct interactions and conservation efforts. Roadkill is also a big thing: humans impact river otters because sometimes river otters could go on the road and, when drivers don’t pay attention, they could get run over.

Creative Exploration

Day in the Life of a Stay at Home River Otter
First, she had to film a get ready with me. Then she went and worked out at the gym. She had to swim through the creek and under the bridge just to get there. Next, she had to go to the post office which was a pretty long swim, and pick up all of the PR that people sent her. Then she swam to the abandoned river dam where she lives and filmed an unboxing video and had Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Then she had her friends over and they hung out and ate some pizza for dinner. The river otter filmed a “get unready with me”, watched TV, and went to sleep.

Olivia Pellett, Fallon Delaney, Arri O’Rourke

Book 6