The biologist squatted beneath a busy highway bridge in White Oak and studied the creek bank for signs of life.
Hot on the trail of an elusive critter, Charlie Muller pointed to a set of paw prints that emerged from the milky green water.
“Right here’s where he came up,” he said.
River otters had been here.
Muller and other wildlife biologists are tracking otters this spring for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They believe the shy but playful mammals are on the rise in the Piney Woods, and they hope the study will help them understand where the animals live and how many are out there.
“It’s a species that not a lot is known about here in East Texas,” he said.
Muller is monitoring the otters at five spots in Gregg County and 10 spots in Rusk County. On a recent morning, he found several well-preserved tracks beneath a U.S. 80 bridge in White Oak.
As cars and trucks thundered overheard, Muller carefully studied the prints.
From them, he deduced that two river otters had emerged from the water sometime in the previous week. They scrambled along the bank for a couple of yards before vanishing into the wide, murky creek.
“I believe they were trying to stir up frogs or any other kind of prey and spook them into the water,” Muller said.
Once the frogs are in the water, they are easier to catch, he explained.
“River otters are efficient hunters,” he said. “They are very, very agile swimmers that are built to go through the water, and they have a wide tail that is used like a rudder so they can swim very quickly.”
On land, they waddle on squat legs, and they are always fun to watch, Muller said.
“They’re furry and cute, they’re action-packed and they’re playful,” he said. “They remind you of kids playing because they’re so full of energy.”
“You ever been to the Tyler zoo? They’re a favorite, no doubt.”
Playing at the zoo
In the wild, river otters keep their distance from humans. But at Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, otters seem to enjoy the company of zookeepers and visitors, according to mammal curator Scotty Stainback.
“A lot of times children will get in front of the viewing glass and run back and forth, and they actually play chase with the kids,” he said. “They go back and forth and they’ll follow you, and they like to look out the window and see what stuff (the visitors are) doing.
“I guess you could say they like to people-watch. They wonder about us just as much as we wonder about them.”
From April through the summer months, zookeepers give demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The keepers talk about the otters while the otters hunt for perch.
“People just like them,” Stainback said. “Usually in the morning is the best time to catch them moving around, but they do stay active. They’re always swimming, always in the water. They’ve got such a high metabolism that they constantly hunt and eat.”
Spend enough time with the otters and you notice that different personalities emerge, he said.
“We’ve got one that likes to interact with the keepers; really likes attention,” he said. “Then we’ve got another who is standoffish and stays at the back of the stall.
“A couple of boys are real playful and always picking at each other. They like to roughhouse and just be boys.”
Finding otters in the wild
As fewer people trap otters for their pelts, their numbers continue to grow, Muller and Stainback said.
More people than ever are reporting sightings, Stainback said, and many of those people hadn’t even been aware that river otters were native to East Texas.
“I grew up in this area and had never seen one,” he said. “A couple of years ago, right on the Neches River, I was out there doing some boating down the river and I looked up and one was right in front of me.
“It’s pretty neat to see one in the wild and just be quiet and watch it play and watch it hunt. It’s a fascinating thing.”
Muller, still standing below the highway bridge in White Oak, said the state wildlife department surveys otters every three years. This year, however, biologists are being more thorough.
They are returning to the same site once a week for six weeks and getting permission to study the otters on adjacent private property. They hope the exercise will help them develop new methods to count the population more accurately.
A few people still trap river otters in East Texas, Muller said, and a pelt can fetch up to $100 when the market is high.
It’s legal to trap otters but illegal to shoot them. If you see a river otter in the wild, he said, consider yourself lucky.
“Be real still,” he said. “They’ll be very curious.”
* * *
River otters thriving in area
STREAMLINED BODY
– The river otter is a long, slender weasel with glossy, dark brown fur and a torpedo-shaped body. It has webbed feet, a short neck and legs, and a very streamlined body adapted for life in lakes, rivers, streams and marshes.
NIMBLE IN WATER
– Otters are superb swimmers and divers and can remain underwater for several minutes. Although they prefer living near the water, they also can travel long distances on land from one body of water to another. Their short legs and long, slender physique make their movements on land seem awkward, but they are graceful and nimble in the water.
RARELY SEEN
– Otters wander a great deal through their habitats. Because of that, they are scarce in most localities. They are usually shy, inconspicuous creatures that are rarely seen even though they are active throughout the year.
DISTRIBUTION
– Although the river otter is now found in the eastern half of the state, it was probably once distributed throughout the Panhandle, north-central and southern Texas.
DIET
– Otters eat fish, crustaceans, mollusks, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, birds and mammals. They especially like crayfish.
Sources: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Natural Science Research Laboratory at Texas Tech University
42 responses to “Otters among us”
I am genuinely grateful to the holder of this web site who has shared this fantastic
post at here.
It’s genuinely very complex in this active life
to listen news on TV, therefore I simply use world wide web for
that reason, and take the most up-to-date news.
Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was super
long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I
submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too
am an aspiring blog writer but I’m still new to the whole
thing. Do you have any suggestions for rookie blog writers?
I’d genuinely appreciate it.
I think this is one of the most significant info for me. And
i am glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things,
The website style is ideal, the articles is really nice :
D. Good job, cheers
OMG! This is amazing. Ireally appreciate it~ May I show true love on a secret only I KNOW and if you want to really
findout? You really have to believe mme and have faith and I will show how to become a millionaire Once again I want to show my appreciation and may all the blessing goes to
you now!.
Every weekend i used to pay a quick visit this web page, for the reason that i wish for enjoyment,
since this this web site conations actually good funny data too.
Wow, incredible blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is wonderful,
as well as the content!
I’m gone to tell my little brother, that he should also go to see this webpage on regular
basis to take updated from newest news.
Why users still use to read news papers when in this technological
globe all is accessible on net?
Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was
just curious if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend?
I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any assistance is very much appreciated.
Hi there! I know this is kind of off topic but I was
wondering which blog platform are you using for this site?
I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking
at options for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point
me in the direction of a good platform.
This paragraph presents clear idea in favor of the new visitors of blogging,
that really how to do blogging.
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!!
Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Thank you!
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking and
checking back frequently!
You have made some good points there. I checked on the net for additional information about the issue and found most people
will go along with your views on this web site.
Good article! We are linking to this great post on our site.
Keep up the good writing.
My partner and I stumbled over here from a different web address and thought I might as well check things out.
I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to exploring your web page yet again.
Thanks for finally writing about > Otters among us – Wes Ferguson < Liked it!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our
entire community will be thankful to you.
In fact when someone doesn’t be aware of after that its up to other visitors that they will assist, so here it happens.
Ahaa, its pleasant conversation concerning this piece of writing here at this blog,
I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting at this place.
sleep music
relaxing jazz work
night jazz music
morning jazz
studying jazz
relaxing
calm music
water sounds
winter night
sleep
relaxing coffee jazz
piano music
crackling fire
coffee shop jazz
relaxing jazz
Hello, always i used to check web site posts here early
in the dawn, since i like to find out more
and more.
620146 9877Perfectly composed content material , thankyou for entropy. 288518
515016 780963I need to admit that this is one wonderful insight. It surely gives a company the opportunity to get in on the ground floor and truly take part in creating something particular and tailored to their needs. 436878
543396 563053Over and over once again I like to think about this troubles. As a matter of fact it wasn?t even a month ago that I thought about this very thing. To be honest, what may be the answer though? 228200
716924 16169This article is quite appealing to thinking people like me. It?s not only thought-provoking, it draws you in from the beginning. This really is well-written content. The views here are also appealing to me. Thank you. 663685
This was very informative. I appreciate the clarity and depth.