Fish are their most important food. They will take coarse fish, eels and salmonids depending on what is present. A good indication of the presence of otters is the discovery of their spraints. They can travel over large areas of river habitat. They can live up to 10 years although few survive over 6 years.
Otters are highly selective in their choice of habitat.
Habitat loss has meant there are fewer suitable bankside features needed for breeding and resting.