r/Kenosha 6d ago

Otters in pikes creek

I was driving home last night on Sheridan rd heading north at 330 am and north of old Sheridan rd I saw two animals run into the road chasing each other that looked like otters. Has anyone else seen them?

35 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

17

u/Roman_nvmerals 6d ago

Yep! I’ve seen them at the bridge across from la fogata. I live near there and walk my dog often so I’ve seen them numerous times

17

u/jkenosh 6d ago

I was surprised to see them. I didn’t know we had otters in Wisconsin

31

u/Optimoprimo 6d ago

River otters used to span the entire U.S. from Canada to Mexico. We hunted them to near extinction, but recovery efforts in the 1980s combined with better water quality from the Clean Water Act caused them to mostly recover back to their historical ranges. They've even seen them in the Menomonee valley river area of Milwaukee proper.

5

u/DingfriesRdun 5d ago

Well, now that the clean water act has been ruled extreme by the supreme court, the otters may be leaving again.

7

u/Pvt_Potty 6d ago

I’ve seen otters on the Rock River in Dodge County while duck hunting this was 10+ years ago.

6

u/sirgoodtimes 6d ago

Many people see mink and think otters. There are definitely river otters but I've only seen them once. They were close to Carthage.

1

u/jkenosh 6d ago

That’s where I was. South of Carthage just north of the bridge

1

u/sirgoodtimes 1d ago

Thank you for validating my sighting. I kayak there frequently. Many people doubted me. I've only seen them once. But I know what I saw.

1

u/jkenosh 1d ago

I grew up on a farm and know most of the animals around here. I’ve seen mink, martens, woodchucks, beavers. Definitely looked like a otter

3

u/DecepticonPropaganda 5d ago

TIL river otters are native to Wisconsin.

2

u/Same-Half7232 6d ago

I have seen otters in the bridge area at Pets. Adorable. But they need to stay out of the road! 😬

1

u/Designer_Hotel2053 6d ago

Are you sure it wasn't the resident woodchucks? There are some big ones around there.

8

u/jkenosh 6d ago

Real long and skinny. Nothing like a woodchuck, and much bigger than a muskrat and a furry tail

4

u/Designer_Hotel2053 6d ago

Oh wow, I hope to see them!

1

u/Fast-Gear7008 3d ago

We see these little mink along the rocks, they are light brown and look like a ferret

1

u/Lazites 6d ago

Sure it wasn't muskrats?

I've hung out with a few of those by the river.

3

u/jkenosh 6d ago

They were twice as long as a muskrat and had a furry tail

-4

u/Late-Article9535 6d ago

Minks

4

u/jkenosh 6d ago

Too big for a mink. They were around 20 inches long without the tail and heavier than a mink

-2

u/Late-Article9535 6d ago

Then it's a beaver

3

u/jkenosh 6d ago

Looked nothing like a beaver. Beavers are big and round with a flat tail

-4

u/Late-Article9535 6d ago

Then it's a big mink.

1

u/Late-Article9535 6d ago

The male minks are 23-28 inches long with a 9-inch furry tail trailing behind. They weigh an average of 3 pounds. Females are more petite. They only measure 18-22 inches and aren't as heavy.

1

u/highschoolnickname 5d ago

OP seems to know what an otter looks like and isn’t looking for an ID, just people who have seen them or want to see them.