Otter

The otter is a semi-aquatic mammal with a thick brown waterproof coat which is often paler on the underside. They have a slender body, long thick tail, small ears and webbed feet to help them swim in the water. Otters are a fairly large mammal measuring over 3 feet (1 metre) long and weighing up to 22 pounds (10kg) - about the size of a West Highland Terrier! They are happiest living either beside the sea or in freshwater habitats including lochs, rivers and marshes.

Otters survive on a diet of mainly fresh fish caught in the waters near their den (or holt). They will also eat frogs, small mammals, ducks and other birds that nest on the ground.

Otters tend to mate in late springtime and after breeding the male otters are driven out of the holt by the mother who will take sole responsibility for rearing the young. The female otter will usually have 2-3 cubs which will stay with her for up to a year.

Otter populations in Britain and Europe declined sharply during the Industrial Revolution due to pollution in rivers and other human pessures. Because of this they are legally potected and are an important species for conservation management throughout Britain.

Although numbers are increasing and they are quite widespread in the National Park, in some areas they still remain vulnerable. This is mainly due to threats to their habitat and food sources. They are also liable to be killed where there are road improvements and where traffic moves at ever increasing speed.

Scotland is an important European stronghold for otters and in the National Park they live in all of our major lochs and rivers as well as along the coast of the sea lochs. The wooded shores of Lomond & The River Dochart are both European Special Areas of Conservation for otters to help ensure the protection of these wonderful animals.

In order to understand more about the ecology of otters in the National Park, an otter monitoring group has been set up. As otters are such an important and attractive animal, we are keen to build a better picture of their movement, distribution and needs. We have a user-friendly Otter Survey Form that you can download from the wildlife surveys page of this website, or pick one up from one of our National Park Centres.

Otters are protected and it is an offence to disturb or kill them. You can help otters when you are visiting Loch Lomond by keeping disturbance to a minimum, behaving responsibly and always following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.