Written by Mark Kramer

If you’re lucky, you may have the opportunity of catching a glimpse of one of the rarest mammals which inhabits the waters of Armand Bayou. The American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) is seen on rare occasions by those willing to paddle solo, slowly and quietly. 

They are semiaquatic members of the weasel family with long, flexible bodies. Otters are very aware of their surroundings, which means that they typically see you before you see them. 

Seeing otters in the act of reproduction is a life memory. As I paddled one morning at first light, I could hear the frantic vocalization. 

In 1995, ABNC installed a 100-gallon saltwater aquarium in the Interpretive Building exhibit area. It was intended as an exhibit of aquatic life in the bayou. I would often start my mornings at the water’s edge throwing a cast-net to collect new specimens for the exhibit. One such morning, I began to notice a chirping call along the waters edge. It sounded similar to a green treefrog, but somehow new and different. As I paid more attention, I noticed that the sound was moving, and moving towards me which told me that it was definitely not a tree frog. I stopped throwing the net and lay flat down at the water’s edge. 

Coming into view was a family of Otters with one adult and 2 pups. I knew instantly that I was viewing a new species on my life list of wildlife. 

At first glance, I could have mistaken them for nutria. Nutria are a non-native rodent from South America. They are of similar size and color and resemble Otters to the untrained eye. 

Having observed the nutria in various places through much of my life, this animal moved differently, more like an agile, athletic marine mammal. The tempo of movement in the water was in a higher gear of motion. They swam directly towards me, where I was lying undetected and then, they disappeared into the bank directly under me! I could have touched them as they swam past.

Otters dig a den where the pups are born. The family unit regularly returns to the den while the pups are small and may remain a family for a year or until the female bears new young.

They mostly eat aquatic organisms, especially fish and crustaceans. Bayou waters are particularly rich in both during the summer months. I have seen shrimp fleeing otter on several occasions as they swam in quick pursuit. However, I hear otter hidden in the marsh grass far more often than they are seen.

Armand Bayou Otter have a particular taste for blue crab which are abundant during summer. Kayaking the bayou, I have often heard otter crunching crab shells hidden from view in the grass. The sound is almost as if a hungry six-year old child was hurriedly chomping potato chips with their mouth open.  

The estuarine waters of Armand Bayou provide abundant resources which are needed for the daily commute. Otter have a home range of 15-20 square miles and may travel over ten miles in a single day.

Here on Armand Bayou, they forage far and wide. There have been confirmed Otter sightings on every pond at ABNC on both sides of the bayou. The journey that Otters must travel over land to reach any of these ponds is over a half mile. This reinforces their ability to travel long distances equally at home in terrestrial and aquatic environments. They stay in these ponds only briefly before returning home to the bayou. Otters are curious and love to explore. I believe this curiosity promotes their exploring far and wide, which contributes to their occasional pond sightings as there is no shortage of available food in the bayou.

Over ten years ago, Stewardship Technicians Cullen and Merari, were constructing the first artificial heron nesting platform on the West Bank Pond and had their own life memory Otter sighting. Much to their amazement, an otter swam directly past the rookery island with a bluegill sunfish in its mouth. It continued to eat the fish, tail first until it disappeared. I have also found that they can miraculously disappear whenever they choose.

Otter populations plummeted around the Galveston Bay complex during the 1960’s, 70‘s and 80’s. During this time, the Bay lost over 30,000 acres of tidal marsh habitat due to subsidence and erosion. These marshes are critical feeding habitat for Otter. When feeding areas are compromised, the population will decline. Additionally, fur trapping had a major impact to the population all around North America. In Texas, Otter may be legally hunted or trapped any time of year and may also be killed as nuisance animals. Otter’s luxurious fur is valuable to the fur industry which promoted trapper’s wide scale pursuit. While Galveston Bay Otter numbers have not rebounded from their previous count, their population seems to be on the rise.

I was initially reluctant to announce the presence of Otter in Armand Bayou for several years after the first 1995 sighting. I have found several leghold traps set by fur trappers under several bridge crossings in the watershed. In addition to leg hold traps being a cruel manner for any animal to die, they could also have a significant impact on the small Otter population in Armand Bayou.

Along the West Coast, Sea Otter are frequently killed as they forage inside of crab traps. The animals enter the trap in search of their favorite crab meal, not able to find the escape before drowning. Due to their significant daily travel and relatively low numbers around Galveston Bay, Otters are very difficult to see, study, or monitor. I suspect that similar crab trap mortality is taking place around the Bay but collecting meaningful data from commercial crab trappers is difficult.

The one area of obvious impact is from roadkill. I have documented four Otter killed by traffic on surrounding roadways since that first sighting in 1995. There are probably more. Two on Bay Area Blvd., one on Red Bluff Road, and one on Space Center Blvd. The area covered by these kills is further testament to their wide range over land, away from bayou waters.

Over the past twenty-five years during my best years of paddling, I have had 8-10 Otter sightings per year. Recently, however, sightings have dramatically declined. Gary Seloff, an avid kayaker and photographer of Armand Bayou and friend of the Nature Center, has also noticed a marked decline. 

While I have not had a sighting in over two years, I have seen evidence of their presence twice in the form of Otter droppings. While it seems as if their numbers are down in Armand Bayou, they have not entirely disappeared.

Any Otter sighting while I paddle the bayou waters is at the very top of my hoped-for sightings. Otters are extremely playful which is considered a behavioral indicator of high intelligence. Their presence is always a biological indicator of good ecosystem health. Even though I don’t have Otter encounters frequently, just knowing that they’re here is reassuring that our preservation and conservation efforts are worth the effort.