As I was driving down the curvy roads of Mansfield last winter, I noticed a large animal lying off on the shoulder of the road. He had unfortunately been hit by a car and was dead.
He was longer and heavier than a fisher cat, with similar thick brown fur that was slowly turning white as the soft snow fell from the cold grey sky.
I was curious about the animal, so I pulled over to get a closer look.
My boys were in the back seat with their basketball uniforms on and reminded me that we were already running late for the game, so I needed to make this observation a quick one.
I was amazed to see that the poor animal was a river otter -- and a big one at that. I looked down at the water he must have called home and decided to take a hike into this beautiful piece of woods first thing in the morning.
The next day, the sky was a crystal clear blue color and the air was chilly. I had about four inches of fresh fallen snow to track the animals across this river valley that was surrounded by huge oak and beech trees.
I stayed close to the water, hoping to find the tell tale tracks of the river otters family. The water ran fairly deep across the big rocks and I pictured some nice native trout swimming beneath the water. I tried to imagine the sleek agile otter tracking down a trout for breakfast before he decided to cross the road for one last time. I walked through the valley, and found a fresh set of deer tracks but no sign of the otter.
River otters are making a strong comeback in our Massachusetts waters. They are three- to four-foot long aquatic members of the weasel family. They were wiped out of this area many years ago because of water pollution and too many humans taking over their habitat. They eat fish, frogs and other aquatic life, and have always been vulnerable to concentrations of harmful chemicals in the water.
After a few hours, I gave up my search and decided to head home for a warm lunch with my wife. When I arrived, she told me that someone had called to leave me an important message.
It was a good friend of mine who had just observed two river otters in Sharon.
I smiled and thought how lucky we all are to live in this beautifully wild place called Sharon, Massachusetts. Many wonderful animals are out there for you to find; good luck on your journey.
Marc Theriault
9:54 am on Saturday, December 31, 2011
Best. Sign-off. Ever.
Mitch Blaustein
10:23 am on Saturday, December 31, 2011
I saw one last summer and then heard of another. I saw mine at the Fish and Game Club off of East St.
Todd Arnold
8:25 am on Sunday, January 1, 2012
An Otter to a Trout Angler is what the Seal is to the Striper Fisherman... ya know?.... ;)
Beautiful animal....we've seen alot of the river Dwelling mammals making a come back since the banning of Leg traps to the trappers. Seen many a mink and weasel over the last few years.....more now than ever. It has it's goods and bads..the comeback of the river & stream dwellers that is, ...but it's only time until you're reading an situation in the Police Blotter. :Sunday April 5th 2013...Someone reported a large Rat (river otter) attacking the kids in the back yard!"
Turns out the River Otter just wanted to play ball with the kids ..why?..Because that's what otters sometimes do!!..lol
Rick Ripley
12:46 pm on Sunday, January 1, 2012
You are right Todd. They are a beautiful animal who happens to be really good at catching lots of fish in our favorite spots. People will be shocked when they see how large these otters are.
Paul Izzo
3:55 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
Never seen one but enjoyed the column!
rose warnock
4:21 pm on Monday, January 2, 2012
so glad to know we have some returning wildlife. It makes me very happy.rose warnock
Ron Patenaude
11:30 am on Saturday, August 4, 2012
Just watched 4 young? (They were on the small size) what I beleive were otters in a small stream in Otis, MA. Very playful and graceful. Ron P. Otis, MA
Kurt Buermann
1:10 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
Please report any river otter sightings to the Sharon Friends of Conservation's Wildlife Sightings pages. We are trying to amass a record of local wildlife. Mot surveys are regional, but we wanted to see what was specifically within our Town borders. You may report any species, plant or animal that you encounter in Sharon. Photos are nice but a verbal or hand-drawn description will do. We do withhold exact area if the species is rare or endangered or for plants which might be in danger of poaching.
http://www.sharonfoc.org/sightings.html
Kurt Buermann
1:28 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
"plants..in danger of poaching" That is:
We are not afraid the plants themselves will engage in poaching. Sharon flora is, by- and- large pretty law-abiding.There have been instances of humans poaching plants when someone reports their location..
Dan c
1:04 am on Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I saw a group of them in Watertown mass by the brook must of been 3-4 of em
Darrick Wood
9:08 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
We watched one for about 15 minutes in Lee, mass yesterday evening around 5 pm. What a wonderful site it was
ruben figueroa
2:48 pm on Monday, March 25, 2013
i seen one today but i guess it got hit by a car on route 138 in front off goulf course
was wondering if there breeding out hear in canton since i seen one it was about 4 feet long