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Sea otters
- Thread starter SteffanB
- Start date
OK... didn't expect to tell my otter story on TB, but here goes.
It's about 2008, and I'm on a remote northern Vermont lake with no humans in sight at 6:00 AM fishing for smallmouth bass in my kayak. I'm only 10 feet from shore, looking toward the center of the lake. All of a sudden the morning calm is shattered by a thump thump thump sound (getting closer) Thump Thump Thump (it's right behind me) THUMP THUMP THUMP (AM I ABOUT TO GET TRAMPLED BY A BEAR OR A MOOSE?) SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH (splashing all around me.)
Then I'm looking at (count 'em) FIVE otters surrounding my kayak, having just run from the woods as a group and jumped into the water behind me. They seemed as shocked to see me as I was to see them.
I fished that lake every summer for a decade and never saw another otter there before or since.
It's about 2008, and I'm on a remote northern Vermont lake with no humans in sight at 6:00 AM fishing for smallmouth bass in my kayak. I'm only 10 feet from shore, looking toward the center of the lake. All of a sudden the morning calm is shattered by a thump thump thump sound (getting closer) Thump Thump Thump (it's right behind me) THUMP THUMP THUMP (AM I ABOUT TO GET TRAMPLED BY A BEAR OR A MOOSE?) SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH (splashing all around me.)
Then I'm looking at (count 'em) FIVE otters surrounding my kayak, having just run from the woods as a group and jumped into the water behind me. They seemed as shocked to see me as I was to see them.
I fished that lake every summer for a decade and never saw another otter there before or since.
This reminds me that I otter be practicing music instead of reading this.
These 2 were kinda a big deal in my house. Lots of love for Pip and Pop.
Also since CA has put the brakes on abalone fishing wouldn’t it be cool to figure out a way to train wild otters to drop off their shells after dinner? Otter labor?
I could see DiCaprio in a movie about Blood Inlays fighting off Stew Mac and rescuing otters. That would rock.
I could see DiCaprio in a movie about Blood Inlays fighting off Stew Mac and rescuing otters. That would rock.
Our last common ancestor with otters and ferrets is more recent than it is with dogs or cats. The human comparisons and similarities are compelling. Cats and dogs however have been bred to be like us.
I say rats. Rats are intelligent, puppies not so much. Whatever they are, their name " otter" is just so darn cute.
Unfortunately for ferrets this has meant that a large percentage of them have been bred for clinical testing purposes.
Super fun to watch! We have them in local tributary rivers. I get lucky and get a spotting every so often. They are wary and beautifully graceful in the water.
I was kayaking on lake Superior and a pair came down off the rocks into water as I came along, all the sudden I felt a big bump on bottom of kayak, maybe they had kits and were protecting there homestead.
Another time I was fishing from a canoe one evening and a family of otters came swimming by, one of the adults swam right up to the canoe, pops his head up and started chattering away at us. Chill dude, we were here first, move along.
Another time I was fishing from a canoe one evening and a family of otters came swimming by, one of the adults swam right up to the canoe, pops his head up and started chattering away at us. Chill dude, we were here first, move along.
