At the Wekiva Marina, right in front of the canal from the boat launch, I once had the opportunity to see otter mating. The male had the female in a tooth grip on the back of her neck, which he lost from time to time, and they were yipping and sliding around each other in and out of the water, carrying on for longer than I cared to watch. For bearing young, otters use a den of a hollow log or overhang, which may have its only entrance through the water. These kits are weaned at about 3 months, but swimming lessons start earlier. By 6 months, the kits have learned to catch their own food, but they usually stay with their mother until they are about a year old.
Females travel with their kits, with or without the adult male.
Kits may also remain together after separation from their mother. River otters may travel ten miles a night looking for food, although they usually travel over only a few square miles. In addition to fish, frogs and crayfish, they eat insects, turtles, birds, eggs and small mammals. I have seen them plowing their heads along the bottom of a spring probably inhaling the tiny fish that stay there, crunching on crayfish, and eating foot-long fish, always tail first. As you are canoeing on the Wekiva River, keep your eyes out for the playful, intelligent river otter.