River Otters: "Be on the lookout"
What are you looking at?
(North American River Otters - photo by Neil Barker)
Swimming, diving, and always pursuing things for fun and life.
What appears like play is living awareness of everything.
Watching out for predators, prey, and most of all each other.
On one of my hikes in late October 2023, I saw these 3 North American River Otters swimming and diving in a local conservation area. I stopped for a few minutes and watched them swim, dive, and watch me while I stood on the shore. One of the otters was always on the surface keeping an eye on me.
In the photo, the otter on the left appeared to be the largest of the three. This one spent the most time watching me. A few times, this otter would swim closer towards the shore and watch me and then swim back out to the middle of the water.
This was maybe the second or third time I had seen otters at this conservation area. They are fascinating to watch move about and I do not really know much about them. I hope to see them again.
Sijo Notes: In this sijo, I am trying to capture the feeling that these River Otters appeared to be doing several things all at once: playing, searching for food, and being aware of potential dangers: me. As a group, all three seemed to take on each role. The otter on the right seemed to be playing and swimming. The otter in the middle had just surfaced with some food. The otter on the left was watching me and seemed both curious yet wary.
Nature Notes:
A river otter can grow three to four feet (0.9 to 1.2 meters) long including its tail and weigh between 11 and 30 pounds (5 to 14 kilograms). Males are generally larger than females. The tail makes up about a third of their total length.
North American River Otter (National Wildlife Federation)