JACKSON, Wyo. — While river otters spend most of the year in their dens during the day, the species is more visible than ever in the winter due to a proclivity to slip and slide on the surface of snow.
On Wednesday, Jan. 1, YNP shared on Facebook that winter might be the best time of the year to see this snow sliding expert. An aquatic relative of the weasel, their dark coat stands out against the snow and ice. This playful animal’s slide tracks can also alert otter watchers to their presence.
“They gain speed with a few strides and then flop onto their bellies for a thrilling slide,” YNP said via social media. “It must be one of the best ways of traveling in all the animal kingdom!”
According to YNP, the river otter has thick fur that protects it against icy conditions, and its powerful tail helps it to navigate through the water. Otters can close their ears and nostrils, using whiskers to search for prey. They can swim for up to three minutes without coming up for air.
While otters don’t hibernate, like some other Yellowstone mammals, they will spend much of the day cuddled in a den, YNP wrote on its website. These water animals utilize beaver lodges, log jams, hollow logs, bank recesses, rock recesses and even culvert pipes to construct their dens.
Park visitors and rangers have confirmed otter sightings in most of Yellowstone’s major lakes, rivers and large streams, but they’re not commonly spotted, according to YNP.
“With any luck you’ll see an otter slide in action,” YNP said via Facebook.
YNP advises wildlife watchers to look for the otter along snowy riverbanks.
