MAMMALS OF MARYLANOD 



163 



Eastern Branch near Bennings in 1895. In nearby Maryland he reports 

 that otter tracks were seen on Plummers Island in 1910 and 192'2, and 

 that one was observ^ed swimming across the Potomac Eiver near Seneca 

 in April 1920. Otters still are not uncommon along the Potomac River 

 both to the north and south of Washington. L. G. Henbest observed 

 one swimming in the Potomac near Great Falls in late January and 

 February 1964 and obtained a photograph of the animal when it 

 climbed out onto a rock on the Maryland side of the river. 



The otter may be active any time of the day or night, but tends to 

 be more nocturnal than diurnal. Even though it may be common, it is 

 seldom seen by the casual observer because it is shy and spends much of 

 its time in water. These animals are powerful and graceful swimmers 

 and dive with ease and agility. When swimming on the surface it holds 

 its head high out of the water and both the forelegs and hind limbs 

 are directed backward, progression being made primarily by twisting 

 and moving the body and tail. The otter can reach a speed of 6 or 7 

 miles an hour on the surface, and nearly as great a speed when 

 submerged. 



The otter inhabits a well hidden den along the bank of the stream 

 or river in which it lives. According to Liers (1951, p. 4) these animals 

 seldom dig their own dens, but utilize abandoned beaver lodges or 

 wood-chuck or muskrat burrows, enlarging them to suit their needs. 

 Often these dens are simply short tunnels, but sometimes they may be 

 extensive and complicated. The main entrance is always under water. 

 In marshes, the otter may prepare a nest from dry marsh grasses. 



Nothing has been published concerning the breeding habits of otters 

 in Maryland. Liers (1951, p. 4) studied them in Minnesota under 

 semiwild conditions and reports that otters breed there in winter and 

 early spring. He found the gestation period to vary from 9 months 18 

 days to 12 months 15 days. Only one litter is produced a year, com- 

 prising generally two to four young. The male is allowed to rejoin 

 the family group after the young have left the nest, and he assists the 

 female in teaching them to swim and hunt for food. 



The otter eats a variety of foods, but is primarily carnivorous, 

 consuming crayfish, frogs, turtles, larvae of aquatic insects, angle- 

 worms, and fish (Liers, 1951, p. 1). Jackson (1961, p. 388) says that 

 the otter rarely eats muskrat, young beaver, or duck, and that the parts 

 of land vertebrates occasionally found among its remains probably 

 were eaten as carrion. On Assateague Island the otters appeared to 

 be feeding largely on jumping mullet {Mugil cephalus) . 



Otter fur is currently commanding good prices on the market, being 

 durable, soft, and dense. During the 1965-66 trapping season, 495 wild 

 otters were trapped in Maryland for the fur market (U.S. Fish and 



