Otter 
ice floes. The latter is largely killed by the sealers, but the 
present species is decidedly rare on the coast of North America. 
WEASELS, OTTERS, ETC. 
(Family Mustelide) 
Under this head are grouped a somewhat varied assemblage 
of animals, which are closely related so far as their skulls and 
skeletons are concerned, though they present considerable diver- 
sity in their external appearance. 
The typical members of the family are the slender-bodied 
weasels. Then there is the heavy-bodied wolverine, which reminds 
one of a bear; the semi-aquatic otters, which indicate the way 
in which the seals have been evolved, and the flat-bodied 
badger, the burrowing member of the family. 
Otter 
Lutra canadensts Schreber 
Length. 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet. 
Description. Body long and somewhat flattened, feet short, toes 
webbed, tail very broad and flat at the base, not abruptl 
constricted where it joins the body. Colour uniform seal- 
brown, brighter beneath, size variable, males generally larger. 
Range. Northern North America, south to Central New York 
and Pennsylvania, replaced southward and in Newfoundland 
by closely allied varieties. 
The otter has followed a fisherman’s life so persistently that 
he has grown to look very much like a seal. I never see one 
swimming under water, or with just its head above the surface, 
without being struck by the resemblance. 
The head and neck in particular, whether seen in profile or 
as the animal faces you, are remarkably seal-like. Even when 
the otter is splashing about in the shallow ripples, or climbs 
out on the bank or some half-sunken log, his shape is still seen 
to be more like that of a seal than a land animal. His short 
240 
