What happens when you go out looking for bear cubs? You get distracted by otters MATING! It seems that is often the case with wildlife watching in Yellowstone; you never know what to expect.
Jenny captured some of their fascinating mating behavior with a spotting scope and an iPhone with a @phoneskope adapter. We could have watched them all day!
After quite a bit of flirting onshore, they mated for close to an hour in and out of the water near the confluence of Indian Creek and the Gardiner River.
Jenny narrowed down an hour's worth of footage to a digestible 2.5 minutes, trying to capture some of the interesting behavior.
Did you know that female North American river otters delay implantation of the embryos for at least 8 months, and often 10-12? That means these otter pups won't likely be born until early spring next year.
I hope you enjoy this rare glimpse into river otter behavior. 💕River otters are so much fun to watch, playfully slipping and sliding across the bank and diving into the water to fish.
As they dive, their ears and nostrils close, and a third eyelid called a nictitating membrane closes over their eyes so they can see underwater. Their super sensitive whiskers help them catch fish and small river creatures. Back on land, they roll in the snow or grass to dry off and groom their coats which have a thick water-repellent outer layer and soft, warm layer underneath. These otters kept us quite busy for almost two hours. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
If you want to see more wildlife in Yellowstone, you might be interested in the following free Yellowstone wildlife watching guides:
