Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-03-23
The otter.

The otter resembles the weasel in form |
and motion, but is very different from it |
in many other respects. The otter, un-
like the weasel, lives almost exclusive
ly in the watAr and never allows Ia
curiosity to over ono its discreet on. A
full-grown otter is from three and one
halt to four feet in length from the end
of its nose to the tip of its tail, and
weighs from twelve to twenty pounds;
is of dark brown color about the head
and sho lders and nearly black further
back. with occasionally an individual
that is il, black all over; but q p rfectly
black otter is very rare. i never have
seen but three. Th fur is short, thick
and very fine, and will wear longer than
any other fur. An otter can not run
very rapidly lit never walks, it jumps
like Il weasel. ex ept that in travelling
on the snow where it is level or little
descending it drops its fore feet back by.
its side and slides along on its breast,
propelling itself by its hind feet, and
have seen where it has slid ten rods at
n time without moving its feet Mt all.
and the trac looks as though you had
drawn along six-inch log. They some
times travel long distances overland and
even over cutie high mountains, but
this is not common; tn ir home is in the
! water, and there they re mt home in earn
est They live exclusively on fish, which
! they can catch with perfect ease by
out-swimming them. If an otter takes
after q fish there is no escape, unless it
can get into SO small place that the
otter can not follow. 1t can out swim
even trout 1t does not use its fore
feet in swimming, but drops them Lack
the same as it does while sliding on the
snow and propels itself with its hind
feet, which are webbed. 1t prefers
trout to any other fish, and will eat
three or four pounds per day. 1t is a
very strong. sharp bitten animal, and
will whip two ordinary dogs. 1t is a
very hardy, long lived animal, often at
tanning the age of twenty years. Ii
breeds once year, dropping its young
(three or FOUR about the first of May,
and generally selects some small strea IL
that is very secluded and well stocked
with trout. OF all the wild animals of
the Adirondacks the otter is the widest.
1t is very hard to trap, not only on ac-
count OF its natural shyness, but also
from penchant that it has for catching
its own food, and consequently it can
not be bated. In one respect the otter
is very much like the average boy; it
loves to slide down hill. 1t selects some
steep bank that has water at the bottom,
and then it goes up and slides down into
the water, and SO repeats the operation
over and over again. apparently Just ior
amusement; and trappers knowing of
this fact take advantage of it and set
their traps about foot under water at
the bottom of the slide, and thus fire.
quently capture him, but it requires the
smartest of trapsto hold one. An otter
can remain from ten to fifteen minutes
under water and can swim quarter OF
a mile without taking breath, and
have heard it stated that when the
water is frozen over it would take in @
breath, swim as far as it can, come ur
against the ice, let out the bubble until
it becomes reoXygenated, take it in again
and 60 on, and SO repeat the operation
as often as necessary, and cross any pond
or small lake, but for the truth of thi;
statement do not vouch. 1t has a NOR
tai fear of any human track, and have
known it to come to mans track in
the snow and cruise along in sight of il
for mile or more before it could mus
ter up courage to cross, and the least
disturbance about their slide will drive
them away for long time. Trappers
generally set their traps from boat
and do not make the least mark on land
1t is not remarkably sharp sighted. bu
its sense of smell Is something wonder
full. Upon the whole, the otter seems
to understand the first law of nature :
"sclf-preservation'-in n marked de
gree. Troy (M. " Times. .