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Britain's otter is the European otter - Lutra Lutra - and is
related to weasels, martens, polecats and badgers.
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The average male otter weighs 10kg, the average female 7kg.
The total length of an otter varies from 105-115 cm.
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Otter cubs are born at any time of the year. There are usually 2 or
3 cubs to a litter. They will stay with their mother for anything
up to 18 months.
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Spraints (their droppings) and tracks are clues to their presence.
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Otters are playful, very shy, generally active at night and rarely
seen.
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Otters feed on fish and have a particular soft spot for eels.
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An otter needs up to 30 undisturbed and secluded resting sites or
HOLTS. The most popular places for holts are river bank tree roots,
particularly oak, ash and sycamore, because their open root systems
form large hidden spaces.
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The Wildlife Trusts Wales have pioneered the design and building of
artificial holts to provide more secret and undisturbed places for
otters to rest.
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The pioneer work in Wales has now been developed into a UK-wide
Otters and Rivers project with Water UK. Many Wildlife Trusts are
now building these otter houses as part of the Otters and Rivers
Project.
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Otters need clean rivers and streams to survive - a resident otter is
a sign of a healthy river.
HELP OTTERS - KEEP RIVERS LITTER FREE
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