River Otters are relatively common in the Yellowstone National Park, but less likely seen. This is mainly because they tend to spend most of the daytime in their dens, and come out more often at night. They tend to be spotted more often in the winter during the daytime, so I guess I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, during the right time of year…I won’t complain about that.

This was one of five River Otters that we saw along the Lamar River, and I think it was a lone male trying to attract the female that had her three young with her. What surprised me the most is how often they came out of the water and onto land, or “thin ice” in this case, and looked directly at us. It didn’t seem like they were really all that concerned by us, because if they wanted to they could have very easily disappeared under the ice and up the river, and we wouldn’t have been able to follow. But instead they spent several hours in one general area, and fished and jumped in and out of the water.

I love the colors and texture of the fur on this River Otter, it’s almost like you can see each strand of fur on his neck.

This image is copyright © Terri Shaddick, if you are interested in using or purchasing this image, or any other images on my site, contact me at contact@wildelements.ca.

Taken: December 27, 2016
Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Camera: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM +1.4x III Extender
Focal Length: 700mm
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 1600
Exposure: 1/1250