As the health of our riparian corridors continues to improve, not only have Chinook Salmon been spawning, but an otter family is living their best life along Sonoma Creek at Maxwell Farms Regional Park.
River otters spend a significant portion of their day engaging in scent marking – their version of social networking. Scent marking involves tail wagging, rolling around and leaving behind a mix of urine, scat (often full of fish scales) and a strong musky odor from scent glands near their tails. River otters eat fish, crustaceans, insects and sometimes even birds and small mammals.
These marking sites, typically near the shore, are like otter message boards packed with updates from individual otters to others nearby. Family groups such as this one are thought to establish a shared “group smell” that helps strengthens bonds.
To view a video of this otter family on Facebook, CLICK HERE
If you see an otter when you’re out on the trail, don’t forget to give it plenty of space – as with all wildlife – and report your sighting to The River Otter Ecology Project on the Otter Spotter page: riverotterecology.org/become-an-otter-spotter/
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