Happy Easter.
I haven’t seen much evidence of the Easter Bunny around our house since the kids grew up – no tracks, hidden eggs, jellybeans, or marshmallow chicks. However, I have come to learn that this is a good time of the year to see a mainly nocturnal Easter Otter during the day.
Early spring is when North American river otters try to consummate their final mating of the year. Every now and then, we get visited in the daylight by a lustful loner who can’t restrain itself from playing in our ponds. It’s probable that the otter shown here is randy in that uniquely, hippy-dippy otter way. These joyful weasels (Lontra canadensis) are lithe, three-to-four-foot furry creatures, and they may be the world’s most agile swimmers.
The otter glides through the water in a seemingly frictionless, body-rippling state. It will do slow-rolling dives during which its head slips under water like a submarine bow and its long, arching body slowly follows lengthwise until only its tail waives a quick goodbye, and the otter disappears fully. It leaves us a circular ripple that often makes a sudden licking sound before even that disappears.
Where and when a submerged river otter will pop up usually is impossible to predict. They reportedly can hold their breaths for up to eight minutes, which is longer than sea otters can. When gliding half submerged on the water surface, they’ll also suddenly decide to twist and turn and swim on their backs, apparently just for the hell of it. If only they could lay colored eggs …. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on April 15, 2025.)