On Nov 14, 3:47*pm, rw wrote:
DaveS wrote:
On Nov 14, 11:05 am, rw wrote:

Otter slick?

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

The otters seem to rub **** and fishy guts on the "slides" leading to
water. This seems to help keep the mud from drying out, and makes them
slippery. Ive also seen it on rocks leading down from the den area to
the water. Once you smell it you always know what it is. Sometimes
they use culverts as part of their regular trails to deeper water,
food, dens etc. The scat often will have lots of crushed shell bits in
it. *What Im describing is from observation and conjecture; don't know
how it squares with more science based descripts.

Aside from that, though, they're pretty cute. :-)

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

Although it hasn't happened to me, Missouri's program to re-introduce
river otters has had the unexpected consequence of cleaning out a
number of farm ponds. I personally wouldn't mind, as the ponds have
to be "stripped" now and then to insure healthy reproduction and
species balance.
But there are a number of otherwise honorable, law-abiding, sportsman-
minded folks who have turned poacher when seeing an otter making off
with a ten pound catfish from the backyard pond.

cheers

oz