Otter - Lutra lutra

The elusive Common Otter has sleek brown fur, which is often paler on the underside, and a long lithe body with a thick tail and short legs. Adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle include webbed feet, the ability to close its small ears and its nose when under water, and very dense, short fur which traps a layer of air to insulate the animal.

See Mammal Society Page here 

Otters are larger than Mink and have a black nose compared to the Mink's pink nose.

Adult Spraint Paw Prints

• Spraint: When fresh should be dark/black and tarry with noticeable fish scales and bones.  Smells pleasant (freshly mown grass or jasmine tea)
• Paw Prints: 5 toes (but usually only four visible), tear-dropped shaped toes with a large pad and usually found next to water

A good clear photo of any field signs with an object (preferably ruler or similar) showing scale

Found by most watercourses -  rivers, lakes, canals and will use small streams and ditches to move across landscape. Found in coastal areas - especially Scotland.

All year round.  Mainly nocturnal but increasingly sightings seen during the day as become more abundant

Breeding can occur throughout the year; two or three cubs are usually born in a den known as a holt, and 10 weeks later the cubs emerge above ground with their mother. Otter mothers care for their offspring for about a year; it may take the cubs up to 18 months to learn to fish and the mother helps this learning process by releasing live fish for the cubs to re-catch. Adults can live for to up to four years in the wild but many die in the second year.

Uncommon, but widespread, nationally.

Now fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. A population re-established in surrounding counties during the 1990s; some animals.  A reintroduction took place at Rutland Water ~ 2011 and Otters have now spread to most watercourses and reservoirs in the two counties.