Granddad’s Camera
Otter, as it appears in the game

No.039 · Mammals · Rare

Otter

Lutra lutra

A long, dark, whiskery hunter that has come back across almost all of England after nearly vanishing. On the Broads it works the dykes and broads mostly by night, but a patient watcher at dawn or dusk can be rewarded.

When to look

All year, mostly at dawn and dusk.

Time of day

Best time
Dusk, night and dawn, all year. Cubs are born mainly May–August, though mating can happen in any month.
Where in the game
the Norfolk Broads (river, broad, fen and reedbed) and the Cairngorms (river and loch)
Size
Head and body 60–80 cm, tail 32–56 cm
Weight
6–8 kg; males larger
Lifespan
Wild otters typically do not live beyond about 4 years (Mammal Society)
Population
About 11,000 in Britain (Mammal Society, 2018 review; a low-reliability estimate with no confidence interval)
Status
Least Concern in Britain and England; Vulnerable in Scotland and Wales (Mammal Society Red List for Britain)

Diet

Mostly fish such as eels, trout and carp, plus amphibians, crustaceans and waterbirds

Habitat

Rivers, broads, dykes, fens and reedbeds with bankside cover; on the Spey also lochs and burns

Breeding

Mating can happen in any month. Gestation about 9 weeks; litters of 2–3 cubs, mostly born May–August. Cubs stay with the mother for over a year.

Field signs

  • Spraint (droppings) on prominent stones, tussocks and bridge ledges, packed with fish scales and bones and smelling faintly of jasmine tea
  • Five-toed, webbed prints, often with a drag mark from the tail
  • A slide or well-worn track down a bank into the water

Did you know?

  • Otters declined dramatically in England from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, linked to organochlorine pesticides such as dieldrin; they have since recolonised almost all of England, with only Kent and East Sussex yet to be substantially recolonised (Sainsbury et al., 2019).
  • A long otter tail works like a rudder, and the dense fur traps air for warmth.
  • Otters mark their territory with spraints, which smell of jasmine tea and help scientists monitor their recovery (Mammal Society, PTES).

Moments worth waiting for

  • Otter fishing all year, dawn and dusk
    An otter surfaces with a wriggling eel, crunches it noisily and dives again.
  • Cubs learning to swim July to November, dawn and dusk
    A mother otter noses her cubs into the water, chirping to keep them close.

Rare forms and local legends

  • Old Scar A local legend
    An old dog otter the Hickling regulars know. Otters keep to regular routes, holts and spraint sites, and a dog's range takes in several females' territories.

Photo tip

Sit still downwind at first or last light with the sun behind you, and watch for a V-shaped ripple or a whiskery head. Use a long lens (400 mm plus) from a fixed spot and a fast shutter speed (1/1000 s) as they dive quickly.

Be a good naturalist

Otters and their resting places are protected by law, so never look for holts or approach one. Stay well back, keep dogs away, and never bait or lure them. If an otter changes its behaviour because of you, you are too close.

The law

Protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017: it is an offence to kill, injure or capture an otter or to disturb it or damage its holt.

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