Otters have thick brown hair that covers a long slender body, a thick tail and short legs. They have a broad nose and small ears, with eyes high on the head to help their vision when they are mostly submerged in water.

The long muscular tail and webbed feet make Otters strong swimmers while sensitive whiskers and claws help them to detect and catch their prey.

Otters are carnivores that feed mostly on fish like trout, carp and eels. Sometimes they look for food on land such as insects and bird eggs.

Otters are mostly solitary creatures until they breed. Their young known as pups or cubs are usually born between May and August and stay with their mother until they’re about a year old when they leave to make their own homes. Otter pups communicate with their mother and siblings using a variety of whistling and murmuring noises. They can live up to ten years old.

There are many Otters on the rivers and streams on Dartmoor, indeed Dartmoor may be the second most important area for Otters in England. The banks of the River Dart make an ideal location for Otters dens or holts. The return of the Otter across the UK is a conservation success story with their protection under law and improvements in water quality.