Otter Thought To Be Extinct Seen For First Time In A Century

A wildlife surveillance camera on the outskirts of Boulder, Colo. has recorded the area's first sighting of a North American river otter in about 100 years, according to local media reports.

The North American river otter (Lontra Canadensis) was recorded on Feb. 26 and again on March 7, which means the Boulder wildlife department will have to update its records, as it lists Lontra Canadensis as extirpated, or locally extinct.

The pictures, taken along Boulder Creek, east of downtown Boulder, were taken by a motion-activated camera operated by Boulder Open Space, and show promise that the species could make a comeback in the area.

One of the images shows the otter gnawing on a white sucker fish.

"It actually sat in front of the camera for several more minutes, sitting there munching on the fishtail," said Christian Nunes, a wildlife ecology technician for Boulder Open Space, in an interview with The Daily Camera, which obtained the photos of the hungry otter. 

"I was extremely surprised," he said. "It's a species that is quite rare in Colorado." 

North American river otters are endemic to Canada and much of American west and southeast, but they have been driven from many metropolitan areas.

The animals used to be spotted frequently along Colorado's Front Range, but were nearly wiped out because of mining operations and hunting. In the 1970s an otter population restoration project was launched, but the species is still considered endangered by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department.

"We don't really have population estimates (for otters) anywhere in the state. But they certainly didn't take on the Front Range as well as they did on the Western Slope", said Eric Odell of the state's parks and wildlife department, according to an interview with the Daily Camera.

The creatures have well-webbed feet and strong claws used to burrow near the water's edge, making their home around lakes, rivers, swamps and estuaries.