Winter Foods of River Otters from Saline and Fresh Environments in Louisiana
Winter foods of the river otter (Lutra canadensis) in southern Louisiana were determined to gain an understanding of prey eaten by otters. Otters were taken by trappers in the salt marsh in southeastern Louisiana and freshwater swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin in southcentral Louisiana. Fishes were found in 83.3% of the digestive tracts from salt marsh and 83.0% of the tracts from the swamp area. Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) occurred in 19.8% of the digestive tracts from salt marsh and 3.8% of the tracts from the swamp area. Crayfishes (Procambarus sp.) were found in 34.% of the swamp...
