Awwwwtters! North American river otters are celebrated for their playful nature but have not demonstrated an incredible knack for family portraits until this very moment. Skillful swimmers, when they’re on land, they walk, run, bound and slide. Most of the year, they are active at night, dawn or dusk but they become more diurnal during the winter. Observing them is a rare treat. Who are you in this romp of river otters? Photographed by Peter Mangolds at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Some otter nonsense for your weekend! The playful romping of these river otters at Yellowstone National Park is advantageous for them and fun to watch! These antics help them strengthen their social bonds and improve hunting techniques.
Whether you’re visiting the areas of Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, Wyoming or Montana, you’re sure to encounter beautiful scenery and the fantastic hard work of the National Park Service and Yellowstone staff. Please consider taking the #YellowstonePledge – a personal promise you make to help uphold behaviors that will protect the park.
One of the pledge actions is to give wildlife room and use a zoom. The safest way to view wildlife is through a telephoto lens, a spotting scope, or a pair of binoculars. Observing the pledge can insure a bright future of otter videos and so much more. Video of river otters playing by National Park Service.
A group of river otters is called a romp. Commonly found in the South, Great Lakes region and in the Pacific Northwest, this romp was spotted hanging out at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. While they engage in playful behavior with each other, they are deadly hunters and can be dangerous when their territory is invaded. Please enjoy watching them from a distance. Photo by James Perdue, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, @usfwsmtnprairie.
One of nature’s most social and playful creatures, river otters have big personalities and even bigger appetites. Often seen in groups, they can be observed hunting and frolicking year round at Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in Missouri. In winter, you might even catch them sliding across the ice on their bellies. Photo courtesy of Kenny Bahr.
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