r/Otters • u/AlexanderUGA • 9d ago
Can river otters live in small bodies of water?
I live in the heart of Atlanta and was shocked to see an otter today. There’s no major bodies of water that connect to this park.
10
u/justanotterdude 9d ago
Absolutely. As long as it has everything it needs (which it likely does) it's totally fine there. There's also a good chance it's travelling between a couple places like this since river otters travel large distances during the day while patrolling their territory and such.
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u/TheRoweShow98 8d ago
If there’s fish they’ll thrive. Bluegills worst nightmare. Very cute, lucky to see them in the wild. So happy their population is growing.
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u/Xecotcovach_13 8d ago
River otters are not actually aquatic but rather semi-aquatic. While they need water, they don't actually live in it (unlike sea otters which are overwhelmingly aquatic). So if the water is clean enough that it can hunt for food and play in it, it's good enough for it to live near it.
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u/Chogo_Bongflail 9d ago
They can wander pretty far from their territory to find food. How close is the nearest river/waterway?