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 Mustelidce) 



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 canadensis 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 abruptly 

 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 

 running 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 



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