Galedeep? Finnbarr from India?
As for Theat's OP:
I carry a tin of Sardines and presto:
What do you carry when hunting in otter habitat?
- Thread starter theat
- Start date
As for Theat's OP:
I carry a tin of Sardines and presto:
millerkiller77
Well-known member
Otter attacks three WOMEN.... maybe it was defending its territory against invading Beavers.
RobG
Well-known member
I clap my hands and yell “Hey otter!” when I come to a rapid.
SwaggyD
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Just talked to my buddy in a group chat about this today. We decided death by otter would be pretty noble for him considering he’s been attacked by a squirrel and an eagle.
I've had a Red-tailed hawk claw its way up my face and perch on top of my head. Ain't scared of no otter!
Gerald Martin
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Otter pops as a peace offering?
corndog1
Well-known member
This is a classic case of otter vs beaver. They have been fighting over territory for centuries
A207X2
Well-known member
How a River Otter Can Bag an Alligator for Lunch
Photos capture a river otter attacking a gator in a Florida river. The otter then feasted, witnesses say.
How a River Otter Can Bag an Alligator for Lunch
Photos capture an amazing take-down.BYJENNIFER S. HOLLANDFOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
PUBLISHED MARCH 8, 2014
• 6 MIN READ
We've barely recovered from the snake-eats-croc photos, and now this: Photos reveal a river otter in Florida attacking a young alligator, which it then ripped into for lunch.
The photos, shot in 2011 in Florida's Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge by a visitor named Geoff Walsh, were posted this week on the refuge's Facebook page. Our favorite reptile expert, Terry Phillip, had this initial reaction: "Man, that's a bold and hungry otter! Very cool."
We asked Phillip, of Reptile Gardens in South Dakota and Black Hills Pythons, to tell us more about how such a battle might go down.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GEOFF WALSH
A cute-faced mammal killing a powerful gator? Wildlife is full of surprises. How common might it be for a river otter to take on such an animal?
Otters are voracious predators, close to being apex [top predator] in most places where they live. So anywhere they overlap with gators this would be a pretty common occurrence. Still, this is impressive: That's not a small alligator, probably three or four years old and five feet [1.5 meters] long. If that's a male otter it might be 30 pounds. That's a very bold animal!
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PHOTOGRAPH BY GEOFF WALSH
How does the otter know to bite the gator behind the head?
It's actually a learned behavior. That otter has probably tried attacking smaller ones and got some bites to learn from. Remember that crocs swing their heads side to side when they fight, so the otter wants to be entirely out of the reptile's strike zone. Mounted on the gator's back with teeth into the neck, that's a smart strategy.
How does the otter actually kill the gator?
It doesn't, not directly. First, that's a pretty hard animal to bite through. The armor on the back is made to deflect bites from other alligators, so it's very tough. Where the otter wins is in energy: The otter has sustainable energy, whereas the gator is like a grenade, with explosive energy that doesn't last long. So the best tactic is to wear the gator out, which only takes a few minutes of thrashing and rolling around. Quite quickly it will be very tired, its muscles filled with lactic acid and no longer functioning. At that point it's almost like it's intoxicated, and the otter can then get it up on shore. The gator dies of lactic acid buildup, not from being eaten. It would take a long time to kill it that way.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GEOFF WALSH
So the otter eats its prey alive?
Yeah, once on shore it will rip off pieces of the hide—otters have very sharp teeth—to get to the guts and meat, the good stuff, inside. A lot of parts will end up scattered around. It's like a lion's kill as opposed to a snake's. If there's a mated pair or young otters, they'll get a piece of it, too. It's a good education for otter pups.
What other big animals might an otter eat?
Whatever they can catch and overpower. They are smart, agile, and strong predators. They do eat a lot of amphibians and fish, but they'll also take out sizeable beavers, raccoons, plus snapping turtles, snakes, and small gators. Of course, gators can also eat otters, so it goes both ways!
PHOTOGRAPH BY GEOFF WALSH
And what else might go for a gator?
When they're hatchlings, everything eats them. Large fish, snapping turtles, bird of prey. Bobcats and panthers and black bears can certainly eat young ones. (See video: jaguar attacks caiman.) But once the gators are good-sized, the only predator that will typically beat one is another gator. And, apparently, an otter if it's hungry enough!
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millerkiller77
Well-known member
I can relate to this, I was almost killed by a marmot at the top of Yosemite's Vernal Falls fighting him over a bag of cheese puffs in 1993.
Those little beggars can bite and swim, but they can't fly. Punted that bastard right over the side.
A207X2
Well-known member
They are quite nasty animals. That Nat Geo article above was an amazing read. My wife videoed three of them on our lake on the shore. When one of them yawned, they showed the mouth of a German Shepherd.
Trailsend
Active member
I’d us an Otter Box!
Hem
Well-known member
Yeah...fun to jest.
I'd like all of you jokers to imagine floating down a river in an inner tube. Bullseye on your defenseless junk. Split second its gone.
The Achilles heel of otters is they can't handle nuts pickled in craft beer.
I'd like all of you jokers to imagine floating down a river in an inner tube. Bullseye on your defenseless junk. Split second its gone.
The Achilles heel of otters is they can't handle nuts pickled in craft beer.
millerkiller77
Well-known member
These ladies weren't from Bozeman or Boise, so they most likely didn't have nuts.
Hunter4Life78
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Never been charged by an otter, a griz, or a marmot, a badger on the other hand, now that will get your attention. Momma and three babies. Momma moved quick, as did two little ones. The third little one hissing snapping charging had me convinced I wanted no part of that at the age of 15.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
5.7x28 - I have heard it works on grizzly…
I was charged by a badger last year too. I thought I was a goner.
theat
Well-known member
My theory is that the Orcas have been spreading the word about how much fun it is to sink boats. The otters decided to test the waters by starting small with inner tubes. They will be after the paddle boards, kayaks and rafts next. Once they start pulling the plugs out of bass boats, we really need to start worrying.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
If y’all remembered Zootopia, this should be no surprise.
