Living in the woods with a creek meandering through the yard, I see abundant wildlife. Over the years I have benefited from supervisory assistance from my local aquatic mammals such as beaver and muskrat as I cleaned up the yard, planted my garden or hung outdoor holiday decorations.

Recently, I observed a new species of furry advisers from the creek I had not seen before — a river otter!

River otters (Lontra Canadensis) were absent in Ohio since the early 1900s due to habitat loss and unregulated trapping. They were reintroduced to eastern Ohio in 1986 by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. The Grand River in Trumbull County was one of four sites for the reintroduction of otters.

Populations increased rapidly, and the river otter was removed from the Ohio list of endangered species in 2002. Trapping of river otters commenced in the 2005-06 season in a limited area but is now statewide.

State wildlife researchers use several techniques to estimate otter populations. Bridge surveys at designated bridges include walking the banks of the streams for 300 meters in each direction from the bridge looking for scat, tracks, fish kill remains and latrines.

Reported otter sightings, harvest information and incidental encounters also help provide data about river otter populations in the state. According to the ODNR Division of Wildlife, there are an estimated 6,500 otters in Ohio.

How do I know the animal I saw swimming in the water is an otter, not a beaver or a muskrat, which are quite common in my creek and pond? The behavior differed.

While the beaver and muskrat swim with heads low in the water and dive smoothly, the otter poked his head out of the water at a more upright angle and popped upward before diving sinuously into the water. He also swam much faster than the other two mammals and would pop his head up before diving repeatedly.

Once I grabbed my binoculars to see him in more detail, I could see his body was long and sleek as opposed to the more squat body of a beaver which is closer in size to the otter than the muskrat.

Finally, seeing the tail was the key to my identification which was long and tapered instead of flat and oval-shaped.

It has been exciting to see this new animal in my creek. It will be interesting to see if he continues to hang out here or is just testing the waters. Any new carnivore can change the balance of the habitat and may affect the number and composition of other species.

For now, I intend to learn the tracks and scat of the river otter and do my bridge survey in the mud and snow on the banks of my creek. I hope to have more observations and maybe even get a few decent photos.

To learn more about river otters here in Ohio, go to http://go.osu.edu/ohiootter

To learn more about other wildlife in Ohio, go to http://go.osu.edu/mammalguide

Cubick is a Master Gardener Volunteer for The Ohio State University Extension in Mahoning County.