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Restoration And Monitoring Of The River Otter Population In Iowa, J. A. Pitt, W. R. Clark, R. D. Andrews, K. P. Schlarbaum, D. D. Hoffman, S. W. Pitt
Restoration And Monitoring Of The River Otter Population In Iowa, J. A. Pitt, W. R. Clark, R. D. Andrews, K. P. Schlarbaum, D. D. Hoffman, S. W. Pitt
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) were widespread in North America at the time of European settlement. However, river otters were extirpated from most of Iowa in the early 1900s due to habitat degradation and unregulated harvest. In 1985, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources began an effort to restore the river otter population throughout the state, including a pilot study of survival to determine if establishment was feasible. Annual survival was estimated to be 86% during the pilot study. River otters dispersed an average of about 11 km from the point of release and exhibited habitat use typical for the …