Tracking the Otter !

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
12,294
So a buddy of mine keeps telling me about this sea otter that he keeps seeing at a stretch of beach near where I live, I have only seen sea otters once or maybe twice before so being eager to see one again I set off with Maisy !!!!

The sea was quite wild this evening and even though it was getting dark there were still loads of people out surfing !!!

PB210001.jpg


We headed on up the beach leaving the surfers behind.....

PB210009.jpg


Maisy getting ready for a big wave !!!

PB210011.jpg


With no sign of the otter I decided to look for his tracks instead.At this point I must say that I have never seen any otters track other than in books, I have found lots of scat but no tracks. Anyway I eventually came across an area with plenty of signs of activity but I'm pretty sure these were from a Raccoon and not an otter.....


PB210017.jpg


PB210018.jpg


I also found loads of deer tracks, these led up a near vertical embankment...

PB210020.jpg


And finally I found these, at first I thought big dog but no matter how hard I looked I could see no sign of claws and now wonder if they could be cougar ?
The rear pad of the cougar forms a kind of ' M ' shape but the tracks were not clear enough for me to tell and the light was fading fast !!!

PB210022.jpg


PB210024.jpg


Maybe we'll see the darn otter next time !!!!
 
Hey Pitdog--glad to see Maisy is still on the job.

Yep, those are raccoon tracks. Beautiful shot of them, too: textbook!

And yep, I think those are cougar tracks. The pad is M-shaped, which is a cat, but also... on a dog, you can usually draw an "X" between the toe pads and heel pads. On a cougar, the ratio of the pads to the heel is not very even. As I look at those tracks, even though they're distorted in mud, you can see there's no X there.

Also, on a cougar, the second toe pad tends to be a little larger on the front foot. As I look at your tracks, I can *just* make out a little size differential in that second pad.
 
Hey pitdog, with a cougar in your vicinity, it's a good thing you have a hiking buddy with a good nose. :D

Doc
 
Watchful said:
Hey Pitdog--glad to see Maisy is still on the job.

Yep, those are raccoon tracks. Beautiful shot of them, too: textbook!

And yep, I think those are cougar tracks. The pad is M-shaped, which is a cat, but also... on a dog, you can usually draw an "X" between the toe pads and heel pads. On a cougar, the ratio of the pads to the heel is not very even. As I look at those tracks, even though they're distorted in mud, you can see there's no X there.

Also, on a cougar, the second toe pad tends to be a little larger on the front foot. As I look at your tracks, I can *just* make out a little size differential in that second pad.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info bro, I'll try and remember that !

The fact that the banking was so steep also made be doubt that a dog would have bothered to take that route !!!
 
Im no expert tracker. They may be coon tracks. The first thing I thought of was possum.
 
Let's see if I have any shots that'll help you see what sea otter feet look like:

2577981573_9c10419f51_o.jpg


2577926357_050e325979_o.jpg


They're not very well adapted for transporting themselves out of water, and they kind of drag their rear halves of their bodies a bit.

465585755_af236a167f_o.jpg


Also, when looking for their prints, keep in mind that they aren't tiny animals. They average 65 pounds. I don't think they go very far from the water, much, either.

[Edited to give their correct weight]
 
Last edited:
kgd said:
Man those things are UGLY :D :D :D
Click to expand...

They've always spoken very highly of you............:confused:

Anyway, I think they're cute. I have never seen a sea otter in person, but I have seen quite a few river otters and they are quite funny.

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
They've always spoken very highly of you............:confused:

Anyway, I think they're cute. I have never seen a sea otter in person, but I have seen quite a few river otters and they are quite funny.

Doc
Click to expand...

I saw a group of Sea otters close up once ( less than 6 feet away ! ) and the pups were about the size of an adult river otter, they are a lot bigger than most people think !!!!:eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top