Otter – 2024. animal of the year

When the rivers freeze, I go to river mouths, rapids and under mill dams to look for otters. A semi-aquatic predator needs open water. The otter is an exceptionally agile and mobile animal that can catch fish while hunting under water. Suitable for both large and small fish. I photographed an otter winching a large pike, as well as a slender brook trout. Roaches, perch, koger, trout and other species are its usual food.

Grass frogs that winter in the mud at the bottom of water bodies are part of the winter menu. Having found a bed of sleepy frogs, the otter stays there longer, picks up the frogs from the bottom and crunches them to eat (in the attached photo he does this) until the frogs leave. Frog hunting becomes predominant again during the spring breeding season, when large numbers of amphibians gather in puddles.

2024-01-03 22:00:00
otter-2024-animal-of-the-year