North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) can stay under water for eight minutes, swim up to seven miles per hour, and dive down 60 feet! Water repellent fur helps keep them warm and dry during frequent adventures in their watery surrounds.

 

Females will go to their underground den, called a holt, to deliver anywhere from one to six young. At about two months, they’re pushed in the water and made to swim. 

 

The Tampa Bay Aquatic Preserve Program manages a state-owned freshwater swamp parcel just north of John Chesnut Sr. Park, next to Lake Tarpon. In order to understand what species are utilizing the habitat, staff set trail cameras and check on them every few months. A few springs ago, they found a series of photos of river otters playing, eating, and scurrying on top of a hollow bunch of tree roots deep in the swamp. 

 

Healthy habitats like the Tarpon swamp parcel are critical connectivity links in an urban landscape. Animals like river otters and bobcats rely on these spaces for shelter, food, and respite in an increasingly developed Tampa Bay.