River otter

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Lontra canadensis 

     This stocky, muscular member of the weasel family is distributed throughout most of North America. They prefer life on the shores of deep, clear rivers, lakes, large marshes, and ocean bays. They attain a maximum length of about 1.4 m and a weight of about 13.5 kg. River Otters have the thick lustrous fur characteristic of amphibious mammals. 
     Wary in the wild, they are, nonetheless, sociable, docile, playful animals and easily domesticated. The European species was once used to catch fish for the table. 
     Primarily nocturnal, otters remain active year round. Their diet consists mainly of fish, but they also eat insects, frogs, and occasionally small mammals such as muskrats. 
     Sometimes falling prey, on land, to wolves and coyotes, the otter’s principal enemies are humans.