This is very exciting, because it is going to be all about me. I am going to keep hidden well away - we celebrity explorers don't like to be recognised - but you can make a rubbing of an otter and you may even see one of my relatives in the river.
The otter is the largest member of the weasel family, weighing 10kg and being up to 1 metre or more in length. Otters can live up to 16 years of age. They are semi-aquatic, living on both the water and the land. They are excellent swimmers thanks to their smooth fur, long body, and short legs with webbed feet. They generally live on the river bank but go into the water for their food. They eat mainly fish, but also eat water insects, snails, and worms.
Although otters are usually solitary creatures, they sometimes like to play with each other: sliding, wrestling, and playing tag. They live in holts, constructed in natural cavities, under tree roots, rock crevices, or in log piles. Females give birth in the summer months and the young cubs or pups, which are born blind, remain with their parents for their first year.
Otters were once highly valued for their fur, and for many years there were organised otter hunts. They are now a protected species under UK and international law. It is illegal to kill or injure them, or to damage their holts.
Now you know all about me - much more than I know about you. Perhaps you should make some notes about yourself in your notebook - after all, you are one of the small mammals on the river bank! If we ever meet, you can tell me about yourself. When you have made your notes, we can move further along the Parade to our next post.
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