"These slippery, playful creatures play an important role in strengthening the health of our rivers," Governor Polis said ...

Fifty years ago, Colorado Parks and Wildlife took steps to return the river otter to waterways across the state. Now, the agency has dedicated the next 12 months to documenting how the playful, ...

Fifty years ago, Colorado realized it had made a mistake. Its rivers, once alive with the movement of playful otters cutting through currents and pressing their tracks into sandbars, had gone quiet.

Four decades ago, populations of the river otter, a playful, whiskered member of the weasel family, were so depleted that most states in the Chesapeake Bay region considered them endangered. Today, ...

Colorado wants your help documenting otter spottings This year is the 50th anniversary of river otter reintroduction in Colorado.

Help track river otters in Colorado The science project, the iNaturalist Otter Y.E.A.R. project, is part of CPW's 2026 Otter Y.E.A.R.

Three North American river otters play in the snow on the docks of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Detected with SERC’s night-vision wildlife cameras. North American river otters have ...

I’m sure you could guess the most prevalent difference between river otters and sea otters. Yes, one species lives in freshwater, while the other lives in marine environments. But did you know that ...

A family of otters in a Kentucky backyard racked up half a million views online. But how did they get there?

A North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) wanders through a forest at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Credit: Calli Wise, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center North American ...