Daniel Allen - Otter

Series editor: Jonathan Burt

Already published

Daniel Allen

REAKTION BOOKS

To Anna McLaren

Published by
REAKTION BOOKS LTD
33 Great Sutton Street
London EC1V 0DX, UK
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk

First published 2010
Copyright Daniel Allen 2010

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers.

Page references in the Photo Acknowledgements and
Index match the printed edition of this book.

Printed and bound in China

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Allen, Daniel

Otter. (Animal)

1. Otters. 2. Otters Effect of human beings on.

I. Title II. Series

599.769-DC22

eISBN: 9781861898937

Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra).

Anyone reading through the literature on otters will be struck by how little is really known about them in the wild. It is perhaps even more surprising that the cultural history of the otter has been totally overlooked.

As a member of the weasel family (the Mustelidae), the otter (Lutrinae) is closely related to martens, polecats, mink, skunks and badgers. Perfectly adapted for an aquatic lifestyle, fossil records suggest they derived from a common ancestor, Mionictis, which lived 20 million years ago. The divergence of species is thought to have taken place in the middle Miocene (see appendix, table 1). Until recent years, otter species classification was in a state of very considerable confusion.changes. Today scientists and conservationists generally agree there are 13 otter species with six genera.

LUTRA

LONTRA

AONYX

OTHER

Geographically the otter is widely distributed, found in every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Despite this, not a single species has a growing population. In 2008 all 13 appeared and rudder-like tail. But as this chapter will show, their ecology and behaviour varies greatly. The identity of the otter is also by no means fixed or unchanging. Throughout history different people have assigned different meanings and values. Its public image has been shaped by a variety of human interactions, ranging from folkloric tales and traditional practices to commercial enterprise, sport, popular literature, television and conservation. Otter unravels this complicated cultural history, offering a new way of understanding the animal.

Colour plate of The Otter, engraved by Peter Mazell. From Thomas Pennants The British Zoology, 1766.

The Eurasian otter is the most widely distributed species, found in Europe, Asia and North Africa. It ranges from Ireland to Kamchatka in the north, Morocco to Indonesia in the south, and is found at sea level and in the Himalayas. A streamlined body and sharp instincts are assisted by sensitive whiskers which help locate prey. Their diet includes a variety of fish, eels, frogs, crayfish, crabs, birds and small mammals.

As a nocturnal and solitary animal they are rarely seen during the day, generally retiring in a sheltered hollow beside the water.it has become one of the most popular species. Henry Williamsons famous book