Welcome Back, Otter!
North American River Otters are popping up in places they haven’t been seen in decades and nobody really knows why. As we search for answers we discover a trail of fish heads, poop splats and cuddle parties.
This time on Sidedoor, we track one of the most elusive critters in the country and discover a trail of fish heads, poop splats, and cuddle parties in our search for answers on these ferociously adorable predators.
Left, Patty Storms’ and Morty Bachar’s koi pond at their home in Delaware. Right: Patty and Morty share Patty’s river otter art. Photographs by James Morrison.
Guests
- Patty Storms & Morty Bachar – Otter neighbors
- Katrina Lohan – Head of the Coastal Disease Ecology Laboratory at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- Alejandra Morales Picard – Psychologist at Montgomery College
- Rebecca Sturniolo – Assistant curator of the America Trail at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Left: Lizzie inspects leavings at the latrine on the docks of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Right: Katrina Lohan demonstrating the otters’ poop dance. Photographs by James Morrison and Julia Russo.
Listen now
Links and Extras
- Learn more facts about river otter’s habits and habitats — and watch video of the zoo’s otter residents swimming and exploring — from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
- You can also peek in on a trio of river otters socializing at a latrine with nighttime footage from the docks at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
River otters add their personal touch to a latrine on the docks of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Night camera footage by Karen McDonald.
- See photos of Patty Storms’ and Morty Bachar’s beautiful koi pond and read more about the investigation into their disappearing fish from Delaware’s Cape Gazette.
- Explore the social and scientific benefits of river otter poop parties in a Smithsonian magazine article by Katrina Lohan and Karen McDonald at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
- Research shows that river otters populations in the United States have expanded over the past 50 years. Read more about their comeback story from the Furbearer Conservation Project.
North American River Otter photographed by Jessie Cohen at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Transcript
Welcome Back, Otter – S10, Ep7
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Posted: 6 December 2023
